


Wolf in the Fold

by Dextrousleftie



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Gay Romance, Gay Sex, M/M, Supernatural Elements, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:11:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7918198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dextrousleftie/pseuds/Dextrousleftie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a meeting of the world's werewolf clans happens, will the host Alpha find his mate?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm sorry that I haven't worked on any of my original works for a long time, but I've been working nights and seldom had time during the day to do much more than sleep. Also, I spent the last two months in and out of the hospital having surgery and getting treatment for a large tumor in my abdomen. I've been too tired and had too little energy to do any writing at all. This story is a completed one from my website that I've decided to post here as well. I'm thinking of posting all of my completed works so you guys can read them without bothering to go to my website, which I don't work on anymore as the builder is now almost impossible to work on. Let me know if you'd like me to post the rest of my completed works here. Also, I started writing a chapter today for one of my original works, though i only got a page completed before i ran out of steam. At least I'm writing again. Anyhoo, I hope you guys who haven't read this one yet would like to read the rest of it. Let me know. -DL

 

 

The origin and history of our folk has been told to our cubs for generations, going back over a thousand years. But never before has it been written down and recorded like this, as I am attempting to do. It is an enormous task that I take on - the documentation of the entire secret history of our people. But I am determined to at least try, so that our future generations will be able to appreciate all that we have done and have been since our creation.

I will begin at…well, the beginning. Long ago, when the Norse Gods were still in power in the cold Northlands, Odin All-Father made the mistake of throwing over his lover to take another to his bed. The Goddess that he summarily dismissed from both his bed and his attentions was not happy with him. In fact, it would be safe to say that she was furious at being dumped by the most powerful God of them all. She decided to get even with Odin for having a wandering penis, despite the fact that he was already cheating on his wife with HER. Nobody ever said that women were creatures of sense, especially where their hearts are concerned. And a woman scorned…can be an awful thing, indeed.

The scorned Goddess decided to get back at Odin by lying with one of his enemies, the Sky Wolf Fenrir. With this in mind, she transformed herself into a beautiful she-wolf and went to the place where Odin had chained Fenrir to await the coming of Ragnarok. She flirted her tail at him, and of course a creature that has been chained up for a very long time wasn’t going to say no to such an offering. Hell, what male creature would say no anyway, even one that hadn’t been chained up for who knows how long? Fenrir took the bait, and promptly mounted the she-wolf. A good time was had by all, and perhaps that might have been then end of it - except for the fact that the Goddess discovered that Fenrir had impregnated her wolf form!

So now she had a real problem. She had to stay in wolf form until her cubs were born, and she had to hide her pregnancy from Odin’s All-Seeing Eye lest he decide to kill the offspring of such a mating. She tried her best, but in the long run Odin discovered her secret. The Goddess fled south to escape his wrath and protect her unborn children. She eventually arrived in a warm, beautiful land where the people grew grapes on the hillsides and there was an abundance of food for her and her children alike. And best of all - this was not the realm of Odin or the Norse Gods. The Gods here were nature spirits, vague, undefined beings who lived in orchards and the fields. They were no threat to the Goddess invading their territory.

The Goddess turned she-wolf eventually gave birth to her children conceived with Fenrir. But much to her surprise, the twin boys born out of her celestial womb looked like men, not wolves. But looking closely at them, she realized that they possessed the wolf’s spirit, if not his form.

Still, they were her children. She suckled them from her wolf’s teats, and raised them up to be two fine young men. As they grew, they both discovered that they could take on their father’s form at will. But they hid this ability from the humans who lived in that warm land, not wishing to frighten them with their alien wolf nature. Their gifts soon attracted the attention of the human tribes, and more and more looked to them for leadership. The Goddess who was their mother eventually left them to return to the cold Northlands and her real home, leaving her children behind to make lives for themselves away from Odin’s Eye and his wrath.

The boys took human names for themselves. They called themselves Romulus and Remus, and over time had gathered enough humans around them that they decided to found a city. They called it Rome, and it grew and thrived under their leadership. At the same time, the twins took unto themselves human wives, and began to have children with them. They passed on their bloodlines to their offspring, and many were born with the ability to call upon a wolf nature. Out of this founding, the clans were born.

Those with the bloodlines of the wolf began to spread over the face of the Earth. While there have never been many of us, there are clans in almost every country on the face of the planet. There are some who say that this was what was destined all along, that we who are of the wolf will join our progenitor Fenrir at Ragnarok and destroy the Gods fighting at his side. Who knows? Perhaps that is true. But whatever the case, those born of the bloodlines of Romulus and Remus continue to thrive to this day.  
  
-John Raleigh, Historian of the Cold Spring Clan, 1972.  


***** 

 

“I have a headache,” a low voice growled in disgust.

A laugh. “I hate to tell you that I told you so, Kane…” another voice said teasingly.

“Hah.” the man sitting behind the desk leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his forehead. “This shouldn’t be so hard,” he lamented. “All I wanted was a peaceful gathering of the clans. Is that too much to ask?”

“Yes,” the woman sitting across from him replied decisively. “Just because we all share the same bloodlines doesn’t mean anything, Kane. There’s always going to be in-fighting, spats, quarrels, pettiness, dominance displays, you name it. You can barely get all of the members of OUR clan together in one room - what ever made you think that you could gather all of the clans together and not run into problems?”

He sighed, staring at his ceiling as he rolled his neck to unkink the muscles in it. “I know that you’re right, Angie. But this HAS to happen. We need new blood, and so do the other clans. We can’t keep inbreeding, or our cubs are going to start being born with two heads.”

She chuckled. “It’s not quite that bad, but I see your point. If we keep breeding with regular humans, our blood gets so diluted that the children are born without a wolf nature. But if we just keep having cubs within the clan, there is always a danger of inbreeding. Having the youngsters of the various clans look for mates outside of our clan would be a good solution - IF you can pull it off, that is.”  
“That’s a big if,” he remarked glumly, lowering his head to meet her eyes. “I swear, I’m going to break out the cattle prods if we have any more problems. And the sad thing is, the Gathering doesn’t start until next week! How bad is it going to be by then?”

“Bad,” she replied sympathetically. ‘But if anyone can handle it it’s you, Kane.”

He snorted. “If you say so,” he remarked dryly. “I’m not sure that I have that much confidence in myself.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. You’re only the Alpha of the largest Wolf Clan in North America. How could you be expected to handle this situation?”

He flipped her the bird, which made her laugh. But she sobered after a moment, and gave him a serious look. “What about you, Kane? Why don’t you have a mate yet?”

“Oh, no,” he replied grimly, shaking his head. “Not you too! It’s bad enough that my grandmother only visits me so that she can ride my ass about not having a mate. And that half my clan drops ‘hints’ about eligible people in their family. I couldn’t stand it if you started in on me, too.”

She shrugged. “You’re our Alpha. We expect you to find a mate. Nobody else in the clan has to have one, but YOU do. It brings more stability to our clan, you know that. So you really have no choice, sad to say.”

Kane tapped his finger impatiently on his desktop. “I know that I have to find a mate eventually,” he growled. “I’ve accepted that fact. But what I don’t like is being pushed by everybody all the time. I want to find a mate at my own pace, and to look for the perfect person for me. Not just randomly point at some guy and go: ‘Hey, you’re my mate,’ even before I know whether he’d be a good fit for either me or the clan. I’m being cautious here, Angie, because we mate for life. I don’t want to end up with someone who’s going to drive me crazy for the rest of my days.”

“I can understand that,” she said. “And I agree. You SHOULD be cautious in picking your mate. Not only because you’ll be stuck with him for the rest of your life, but because the clan will be too if he turns out to be bad for you. I can’t forget,” she added with a grimace, “Paul’s mate.”

He grunted. Paul Sutherland had been the clan’s last Alpha before him, and his mate Gina had been a rank bitch. And not just because she’d been a female wolf, either. She’d deliberately sowed discontent in the clan and had set people against each other, leading to a fractured clan that had been falling apart when Kane had defeated Paul in a dominance battle. He’d had to build it back up again since then, and he wasn’t going to undo all of his hard work by picking a mate who was anything like Gina. Besides…he had to admit to being a bit of a romantic. He wanted to find that one person who made his heart beat faster and his mind cry out: ‘Ah, ha! He’s the one!’ in total, rapturous glee. Maybe it was asking too much, but what was the harm in trying to find someone like that? The least he could do was try.

All he said aloud was: “Did you get all the hotel reservations taken care of?”

“Yep,” she replied. “And I got a discount for booking in bulk. Plus a bunch of perks. The hotels were so happy to see me that they were practically crying. In this economy, having your hotel be booked full for almost a week is a Godsend.”  
“Well, that’s one more thing out of the way. Only a million more details to go.” he straightened in his chair. “But I’m going to make this work, even if it kills me.”

“And it just might,” Angie said compassionately.

“Don’t I know it,” he replied dryly.  


******  
  
“Seriously, Father, I don’t see why we have to go to this Gathering.”

The older man with graying wings in his dark hair looked up with a frown. “I’ve told you before, Benedict, that I agree with Kane Haley about injecting new blood into our clan. To do that, we need for our youth to mingle and try to find mates from other clans. This Gathering will provide that opportunity.”

His son made an impatient gesture with one hand. “All right. I agree as well. I suppose my real question would be: Why do I have to go? It’s not as though I’ll be looking for a mate to bear me cubs and carry on our bloodline. You know I don’t like women. Why not just send Theodore? I have to be back at uni in less than a week. I don’t want to miss a fortnight’s classes if I don’t have to.”

“But you do have to,” his father replied tartly. “Because I need you to keep an eye on Theodore. You know how reckless and wild he can be. I don’t want him doing something that draws needless and dangerous attention to us. Kane wouldn’t like that, and I fear what he would do to Theodore. Please, Benedict. I’d go myself, but…”

He sighed. He knew the silent finish to that statement. His mother was in hospital, and wasn’t doing well at all. As she was a normal human and didn’t have the wolf’s nature, she didn’t possess the swift healing capabilities that one of the clan had. It would be touch and go whether she survived after her heart surgery, and he could understand his father’s desperate wish to stay by her side. “Very well, Father,” he said aloud. “I’ll go and keep an eye on Theodore.”

His father looked relieved. “Thank you, Benedict. Just remember, both of you represent our family in the clan. Please make sure if you can that Theodore doesn’t end up embarrassing or shaming us.”

“I’ll do the best that I can, Father,” he replied.

“That’s all that I can ask, Benedict,” his father said. “Especially since I know what you’ll be up against.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benedict has to babysit his brother Poor guy...

“Theo, please just sit still,” Benedict said in exasperation.

His brother snorted, but stopped squirming on the hard plastic chair. “I’m bored,” he drawled, folding his arms mutinously over his chest.

Benedict sighed. “It’s only been an hour,” he chided. “You have to be patient. Our flight was delayed, that’s all. Why don’t you read a book or something?”

Theodore gave him an incredulous look over this suggestion, as though questioning his sanity. Benedict held onto his patience as best as he could. “Well, then, watch one of the tellys,” he pointed at the television sets mounted here and there around the lounge. “Surely you can find something to watch on one of them.”

“I suppose,” Theodore said restlessly, jumping to his feet and departing.

 

Benedict watched him go, shaking his head a bit. His brother often acted like a spoiled child, not a twenty-two year old man. Perhaps his parents had indulged their youngest too much. But whatever the case, he wasn’t looking forward to sheparding his younger brother around San Francisco for the next few weeks while the Gathering was going on. And he really saw no reason for them to be going anyway - he was a confirmed homosexual, and Theodore simply wasn’t adult enough to take on the responsibilities of a mate and children. But their father wanted them to go to represent the family in the clan, and he’d honor that wish no matter how hard it was on him.

Theodore had picked up a magazine and was shredding it. Benedict grimaced. His brother was bad enough normally, but boredom made it even worse. “Theo, stop that,” he called aloud.

His brother tossed the mangled magazine down on the table that he’d originally picked it up from, and sauntered back toward him. His lip lifted in a sneer. “Always the good boy, eh, Benny?” he said sardonically. “Never get the urge to cause any trouble? You’re so boring.”

“Well, I’m sorry to be such a disappointment for you, Theo,” Benedict remarked. “But we only have to rub along together for a fortnight or so. Then we can fly home and you can go back to your usual habits, and I can return to university. And the only times that we’ll have to see each other is at Christmas and other family gatherings. So could you please just try to behave yourself, even if just for a short time? I’d appreciate it.”

A scowl moved over Theodore’s(admittedly well-shaped) mouth. “If it isn’t Mr. Self-Righteous talking. You know, Benny, for a bum-fucker you’re not very much fun at all. More like a total prig, actually. As though butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth. That’s how you managed to turn our parents up sweet, isn’t it? They think that the world revolves around you, not the sun.”

Benedict gritted his teeth together to keep in the reply he actually wanted to make. Theodore’s sullen moodiness and open jealousy of him were going to make this trip very hard to bear. But fortunately for him, the electronic board mounted on one wall flickered and changed just then, declaring in glowing letters that their flight from Heathrow to San Francisco International, with stops in New York and Chicago, was finally boarding.

He leapt to his feet and grabbed his carry-on bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “It’s time to go, Theo,” he told his brother. “Grab your bag.”

His brother carelessly scooped up his rucksack and followed after Benedict as they headed for the boarding gate. He said nothing else as they walked along, for which fact Benedict was grateful. He was already tired of dealing with Theodore’s temper tantrums, and their journey had barely begun yet!  
  


 

Kane Haley considered the large clearing thoughtfully, measuring it with his eyes. “I’m not sure it’s big enough,” he remarked doubtfully to his assistant. “There are going to be a lot of people here. And you know how bad an idea it is anyway to have a bunch of those with a wolf’s nature crowded together in a too small space. We’ll have people attacking each other if we aren’t careful. And that’s not the idea of this gathering at all - the opposite, in fact. We need to find someplace bigger.”

Angie nodded. “I figured that’s what you’d say,” she replied. “But it’s not going to be easy to find a big open space that’s isolated and secure. This could be our biggest obstacle. Although…maybe I could check with the few in our clan who are local farmers. They might have an open field or two that could do the trick.”

“Excellent idea as always, Angie,” Kane remarked, patting her arm. “I knew there was a reason that I hired you as my assistant.”

“There are many reasons that you hired me,” she said dryly, “My logistical skills being only one of them. Another big one being the fact that you can’t find your way around a computer to save yourself, which is hilarious considering the fact that you made most of your money bankrolling a computer technology business...”

He looked sheepish, an odd expression on such a big man. “Hey, what can I say? Technology and I aren’t friends. I guess I’m just an old-fashioned sort of wolf.”

“A throwback,” she agreed with a grin. “To the time of the Vikings when they still feared our progenitor Fenrir. I could see you aboard some dragon-headed ship, sailing south to rape and pillage at your leisure…”

“Well, the raping part not so much,” Kane said with a chuckle. “Unless I came across some pretty boys. Although that would have been possible - have you SEEN some of those Irish boys? Gorgeous. I could definitely see myself taking advantage of some of them…”

Angie laughed. “As if. You’re too much of a gentleman in your own way to ever take someone against their will, Kane. Not that you’d ever have to, you handsome thing you,” she eyed his broad shoulders and sculpted features, and shook her head. “It was a sad day for females everywhere when you realized that you liked other guys,” she added.

He cocked his head. “Oh, please. Like most of you twisted females don’t spend all of your time fantasizing what it must be like when two guys go at it,” he sneered genially. “And don’t try to tell me otherwise, I’ve seen those internet sites devoted almost solely to gay fiction written by women for women.”

She lifted her shoulders. “You’ve got me there,” she agreed. “We ladies - for the most part - just like men. Two men together…double the fun and hotness. Can you blame us?”

“Me? No,” he said with a wicked smile. “But then, I agree that two men are double the fun and hotness,” he went on with a devilish wink.

She chuckled. “You just wait until you get a mate, Kane. Half the clan’s females are going to be fantasizing about your sex life. You know that, don’t you?”

“I’ll survive. As long as that half doesn’t include my grandmother,” he said with a grimace. “I wouldn’t put it past her,” he added ruefully.

Angie smiled. “I wouldn’t, either,” she agreed merrily.  
  
  
 

 

Benedict stared out the tiny oval window on the plane, glad that his brother had finally stopped bothering the flight attendants and had gone to sleep. They were over the ocean now, and he could see the water glinting down below them. He had a book open on his lap, but he was feeling too tired to concentrate on it. He sighed wearily. He was not looking forward to this gathering of the wolf clans at all. He should be back at university right now, studying hard for his exams. He would graduate this year, and he didn’t want his grades to slip when he was this close to his goal.

And there was…Danny. Danny Collins, a second-year Biology student. He and Danny had been on-again, off-again now since last year. They were off-again at the moment, but he’d hoped to mend the breach and get them back together once he returned to uni after the break. Now he wouldn’t get a chance, at least not for another two weeks.

Instead he’d be babysitting his irritating younger sibling, making sure that Theodore didn’t cause any trouble. If his father hadn’t asked him, he never would have even considered going to this Gathering. He saw no purpose in it for himself, since it wasn’t as though he could have cubs with another male. So it really didn’t matter if he ended up with a normal human male like Danny rather than someone from the clans. This trip was such a waste of time for him - and with Theodore in tow, it was going to be a major headache for him as well.  


*****

 

Kane plopped down in his leather chair with a huff and stretched his feet out in front of him. “So everybody’s set to start arriving by tomorrow,” he said, and Angie nodded.

“Good. Frankly, I just want to get this over with. It’s a good idea in theory, but the execution…” he made a face. “I’m tired already. By the end of this two weeks, I’m just going to want to crawl into a den somewhere and sleep for a year or so.”

“But think of all the good you’ll have done,” Angie pointed out reasonably. “If we keep mating with regular humans, the wolf clans will disappear. But if we keep inbreeding within the clans, people will start to think that we’re from West Virginia.”

He chuckled. “I know that. Everybody has told me what a good idea it is. But since THEY don’t have to coordinate this thing, of course they think that it’s a good idea.”

Angie shrugged. “Nothing good ever came without work,” she noted. “It’s just that you have to be the one to do the work this time. Next time, make another clan host a Gathering. Then all you have to do is show up and make small talk.”

“Sounds goods to me. If we could have clans rotate through hosting these things, that won’t put undue burden on just one of them. I’ll suggest it at the next meeting of Alphas.”

“You do that. And stick to your guns. You deserve other people to take care of you too, Kane, even if you are an Alpha.”

He blew out a long breath. “If I had a mate, I’d have someone to take care of me,” he said, his voice rather melancholy.

She gave him a sympathetic glance. “I have faith that it’ll happen for you soon, Kane,” she said firmly.

“I hope so. I really do. Anyway, on with the endless task of playing matchmaker for over a hundred wolf clans. No rest for the wicked.”

“In that case, it’s a wonder you get any sleep at all,” she teased him gently.

 

*****

Benedict trailed after his brother out of the main terminal at San Francisco International Airport, feeling unbelievably tired and grimy. Many hours spent trapped on planes with his sibling had left his nerves on edge, and he was so glad to have finally arrived at their destination that he could have wept. He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders to try to loosen the muscles. “So what now?” Theodore asked, looking around.

“We get a cab and go to our hotel,” Benedict replied. “Where I intend to shower, eat, and then sleep for fifteen hours straight.”

Theodore grimaced in disgust. “You really are no bloody fun, brother,” he complained. “Me, I’m going to go find a pub and have a drink. Or lots of drinks. Then I’m going to check out the night life around here.”

Benedict felt a chill run down his spine as he imagined Theodore let loose in San Francisco on his own. There was no telling what kind of trouble he’d get in, but one thing was certain - the host Alpha would NOT be happy with Theodore if he caused too much chaos and drew attention to this Gathering. “Theo, you can’t do that,” he said aloud.

His brother whirled on him. “Stop trying to tell me what I can and can’t do, Benny,” he snarled, his lip lifting slightly. “You’re not my father. I can do what I bloody well like!”

Benedict closed his eyes briefly, as though praying for patience. Then he let them slide open, and he heard Theodore gasp a little at the bright sheen moving over their surfaces. He stood still, caught in his brother’s gaze. “No, you cannot,” Benedict told him in a low, growling voice. “You WILL behave yourself, Theodore, at least for the time that we’re here. After that, you can go home and run riot for all that I care. But for now, you will do as I say. Is that clear?”

Theodore’s shoulders hunched and his head bowed. There was hate in his eyes as he looked sideways and up at his brother through his lashes, but it was impotent hatred. “Yeah, it’s clear,” he rasped. “You’re in charge, Mussolini.”

“Please just remember that,” Benedict said flatly. “And we’ll get along just fine.”

****  


Kane looked around. “This is perfect!” he enthused happily. “Big, open, and outdoors. Far enough away from other people that we shouldn’t disturb anybody, even if fights do break out. Great job, Angie.”

His assistant preened a little. “Glad you like it,” she said. “Garret here,” she waved a hand at the farmer standing nearby, practically doffing his cap to his Alpha, “Will move the cows out of it and into the barn today, then they’ll do a clean-up of the field so that we don’t have people stepping in little presents all night long.”

“Excellent. If only everything else goes as smoothly…” he crossed his fingers, “Then this Gathering should be a success. We can only hope. Anyway, what’s next on the agenda?”

“We’re due at the hotel to greet the incoming clans,” Angie said, consulting her clipboard.

“Then let’s get to it, then. Time to mingle and make nice.”  


****  


 

Benedict pursed his lips and silently whistled when he saw the hotel that the clans had been booked into. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco was an amazing building. His ears caught the sounds of water and seagulls from nearby, because the hotel was on the waterfront. He took his bags out of the back of the taxi, while a silent Theodore did the same. His brother had not said one word to him since the airport, which didn’t bother him much. There was a bar in the hotel where Theo could get a drink, and where he could be under the watchful eyes of many other of their people. His brother might be angry with him, but he was going to do his very best to see that Theodore didn’t end up shaming their family and clan and angering the host Alpha while he was here.

They entered the lobby, which was enormous and rose up many stories above their heads. The floor was white-on-black circular mosaics, which made him blink and look away as they made for the reception desks. If he stared at it too long he was going to have an attack of vertigo. He looked instead at the pretty girl behind one of the desks, as she smiled in greeting at them. “Welcome to the Hyatt Regency,” she said. Her name tag read ‘Carla’. “How can I help you?”

“We’re part of a larger party,” Benedict told her as Theodore leered at her openly. “We should have reservations.”

“What’s your name, sir?” she asked him, pointedly ignoring Theodore.

“Benedict and Theodore Cavanaugh,” he told her.

She checked her computer. “Ah, yes. You’re in rooms 212 and 213, second floor. Here’s your keys,” she handed both of them an electronic key card.

“Thank you,” Benedict replied politely.

“What time do you get off, love?” Theodore asked the desk clerk, which made Benedict wince.

“Theo,” he said sharply. His brother gave him a cold look, but subsided.

The desk clerk gave him a grateful glance. “Let’s go to our rooms,” Benedict said, hoisting his luggage in his hands.

“Whatever you say,” Theodore drawled, picking up his own rather tatty rucksack and scowling at his sibling as they made for one of the banks of elevators to go to the second floor.

 

Benedict noticed that most of the people in the lobby smelled of wolf, and that they were also mostly in their early to mid-twenties. These would be all of the unmated members of the Clans, with their Alphas(and one or two older family members) riding herd on them. The rest of the Clans hadn’t been able to come. Taking two weeks out of your life meant getting two weeks off of jobs and school, and many couldn’t afford that. He glanced around, not seeing any of the other members of their Clan at first. Then he spotted their Alpha, standing and talking with the Alpha of the Italian clan. She saw him at the same time, and raised her hand. Benedict stopped in his tracks, making Theodore curse as he almost ran into his brother from behind.

Monique Saxfield strolled over to them. She was a tall, rather thin woman with an aristocratic face and manner alike, both of which served her well as Alpha of a wolf clan. In a normal wolf pack, she would have been the Alpha female, but would have been mated to an Alpha male. But among their clans, it was a bit different. In their wolf forms, both males and females were about the same size and had about as much strength. So females were not hampered in dominance fights, which is how Monique had managed to become Alpha of the Black Cairn clan about ten years ago.

“Benedict, Theodore, how are you both?” she said as she approached them. “You’re some of the first of our clan to arrive. I take it your father couldn’t come with you? How is your mother?”

“Not well, I’m afraid, Monique,” Benedict replied. “She’s still in hospital. Father’s with her, that’s why he couldn’t come.”

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry to hear that,” she said sympathetically. “I quite like your mother. I hope that she gets well soon.”

“Thank you. We were just going up to our rooms,” Benedict informed her.

“Ah, don’t let me get in the way of you settling in, then. I’ll see you both later,” she walked back to where the Italian Alpha was standing, leaving them alone again.

“Bitch,” he heard Theodore mutter under his breath. His brother hated Monique even more than he hated Benedict, because she was even more dominant over him and she never stood for any of his nonsense.

He sighed. “Let’s go, Theo. I really want a shower,” he remarked, keeping his voice polite but toneless.

“Fuck off,” Theo snarled softly, but one look over his shoulder made his brother stiffen and trail mutinously after him toward the elevators.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kane meets Benedict, sparks fly...and the fur might, too!

Kane hopped out of the car and strode into the Hyatt, knowing that Angie would find a good parking spot for it while he mingled and greeted and did all of the other things necessary as the Alpha hosting this Gathering in his territory. Inside the enormous lobby, he made for the lounge off to one side where he knew that many of the arriving Alphas would instinctively go, seeking others of their kind. There would be few dominance displays among them in such neutral territory, unless he was the one initiating the displays. And since this had been his idea in the first place, it would be counterproductive to antagonize his fellow Alphas just because they were in his territory. He’d invited them in, after all. He had to be a good host.

Inside the lounge, he saw half a dozen Alphas standing near the bar. He lifted a hand in greeting, and one of them waved him over. “Kane! Great hotel, man. Thanks for putting us up in luxury for our stay here,” one of the Alphas, Roger Clayton, called to him.

“You’re welcome,” he said dryly. “I was happy to do it.”

“Good thing you’re so rich,” another Alpha, Felicia Taylor, remarked as she sipped her drink. “Or otherwise booking this place for two weeks would bankrupt you.”

“Anything to help my brother and sister wolves,” Kane replied genially. “Although you’ll all be getting your part of the bill in a few weeks…”

Laughter. They all knew that as the host he was responsible for such things as feeding and housing the members of the various clans, and that he’d live up to his duties as Alpha of the Tall Hill Clan faithfully. “How many have arrived?” he asked curiously.

“Most of the youngsters from the North American clans have arrived already,” Roger told him. “We hired a bus and just drove here en masse. The others might take longer, depending on where they’re coming from. Some of the Eastern European clans might not get here for a few days more.”

“That’s why I scheduled a whole two weeks,” Kane remarked, heading for the bar to get a drink for himself. “Plenty of time for everybody to arrive, and for the youngsters to mingle and get to know each other.”

“This was a great idea,” another Alpha said with a nod at him. “The only problem I foresee is that some of them won’t want to move to foreign countries, not even to be with a mate.”

“That will be their decision. We can’t force them to mate outside their clans,” Kane said with a shrug. “This is just a ‘get to know each other’ thing, a sort of mixer. They might see somebody they like the look of, and if they do I’m willing to find places for them to live while they go through their courtships. That way they won’t be rushing into anything. No one should rush into picking a mate.”

“Very true,” Roger agreed fervently. “I courted my mate for almost a year before she was ready to accept the bond. But we’re that much stronger for that time.”

“Indeed. Here’s to the Gathering,” Kane said, lifting his glass. “May it lead to many fruitful matings for all of our clans.”

The other Alphas lifted their glasses and murmured, “To the Gathering,” before drinking. There was an atmosphere of hope and anticipation among them, which Kane was glad to see. If any of the Alphas had been against this Gathering, it would have been that much harder for him to pull it off. And it was already difficult enough without any more roadblocks in the way… 

 

*****

 

Benedict wandered out of the bathroom of his hotel room, feeling refreshed after the long hot shower that he’d just taken. He pulled the fluffy white bathrobe closed and tied the belt as he headed for the one amenity that each of the hotel rooms boasted that he was really looking forward to using - I.e, the small balcony. He pushed open the glass door and stepped outside, feeling a soft wind caress his face as he put his hands on the top of the wooden railing and stood looking out at the view of the city beyond. His room wasn’t high enough for him to be able to see over the rooftops, but he’d seen in the brochure that three was a revolving restaurant on the roof that offered a magnificent 360 degree view of both San Francisco and the waterfront, the Bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge. He was looking forward to eating there, but not today. For now, he intended to take advantage of room service and go straight to bed, even though the sun hadn’t set yet. He was exhausted from jet lag.

He scrubbed at his face with his hands as he walked back into his room to call down to room service. He ordered a Porterhouse steak, medium-rare; a side of scalloped potatoes and asparagus in butter sauce; and a fudge brownie sundae for dessert. His people needed a lot of food to run their high metabolisms, and the meal on the plane had been small and not very good at all. He was ravenous. He charged the meal to his room, glad that he didn’t have to spend his own money on eating. He hadn’t yet had time to exchange the pounds in his wallet for American money anyway. Until he could do that, he was effectively broke.

Benedict sat down on the edge of the bed, which was quite comfortable. He yawned, so tired that his very bones ached with the need for sleep. Now that he didn’t have to worry about Theodore anymore(at least not for the moment, since the order he’d given him brother to behave himself would keep him from getting into any trouble), he could relax and get some real rest. He might not sleep for twenty-four hours, but it felt like he could do at least twelve quite easily.

 

There was a knock on the door, and he went to answer it. A porter pushed a trolley covered in a white cloth into the room, removing the covers from several large silver serving traps to reveal a good deal of tempting-looking food. Benedict felt his nostrils flare and his mouth water as the scent of the good reached his nostrils. But he hesitated. “I’m afraid that I don’t have any money to give you a tip,” he said apologetically to the porter.

“That’s fine, sir. You can add a gratuity for me when you sign for your meal,” the porter said.

Relieved, Benedict did just that. He tipped the porter generously, thinking to himself that once he exchanged his money he’d pay back the host Alpha for spending his money so generously. Once he’d signed the receipt, the porter told him that he’d return for the trolley in an hour or so, and left him to his meal.

Benedict pulled the trolley over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, and proceeded to devour the entire meal in a matter of minutes. He still ate neatly, but as swiftly as he could. His stomach rumbled happily at him for filling it so well, and he growled in appreciation when he ate the last bite of the sundae and left nothing but crumbs on the plates. He patted his full stomach, pushing the trolley over next to the door so that the porter could retrieve it. He supposed that he should wait up until the man came, but now that he was full he was beyond exhausted. He staggered over to the bed and fell into it, and he was deeply asleep by the time that his head hit the pillow.

 

*****

 

Kane took the last sip of his drink and set the empty glass down. “This has been fun, guys,” he said. “But we should probably do a check on our people. Don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” replied Monique Saxfield in her high-class English accent. “Also, I’m quite ready to make friends with a comfortable mattress. It was a very long flight.”

The other Alphas made sounds of agreement and got to their feet. Most of them had come a long enough distance that they were tired and ready for bed, even though it was only about nine o’clock. They just wanted to check that their clan members were safe and sound in their rooms, then most of them would head to bed. They all left the lounge and made their way to the bank of elevators, chatting in a desultory fashion as they headed for whatever floor that their clan members had been assigned to. Kane had made sure that each clan was given rooms together with the Alpha’s room squarely in the middle of each group. Kane’s eligible clan members were here too, since it was simplest just to put them up at the hotel where all of the other unmated clan members were staying. He headed for the eighth floor to speak to all of them, checking in on how they were doing and wishing them goodnight. He felt like they were his cubs, even though they were all adults. He was their Alpha, after all. It was his responsibility to look after and take care of all of them. He hoped that each and every one of them found someone they liked the look of at the Gathering.

After he’d checked up on all of his clan members, Kane headed for the indoor pool to have a long, leisurely swim before he went to bed. He needed to unwind and relax, and cutting through the warm, clear water helped him to do just that. He tried hard to block out the almost overwhelming smell of chlorine as he did so, the only thing he really didn’t like about pools. Having a very sharp sense of smell wasn’t always an asset in what was(let’s face it) an extremely odiferous world.

He pulled himself up out of the water and sat on the concrete, shaking his head to get some of the water out of his hair. At this time of the night he had the pool room all to himself, which was fine by him. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the tension draining out of him. So far, so good. Almost everybody had arrived, and there had been no mishaps or problems so far. He could probably count on at least some cropping up soon, but for now he was just going to enjoy how smoothly this was all going.

Thinking about the coming Gathering, Kane admitted to feeling a bit wistful. Here all of these young clan members were going to have the opportunity of finding mates, and he(the person who was arranging it all) STILL didn’t have a mate of his own! He knew that his clan were getting rather antsy over the fact that he didn’t have someone yet; as Angie had pointed out, the Alpha needed a mate even if no one else did. Maybe he was being too picky, but he didn’t want to end up with the wrong person and have it cause tension and problems in the clan. Nor did he want to spend the rest of his life with someone who was wrong for him. But while he might want to wait until he found just the right person, he was running out of time. Maybe after the Gathering was over, he’d think about looking around again and finding someone who was at least somewhat suitable to be his mate.

He sighed, grabbing a towel and jumping to his feet. All he wanted for now was a long hot shower and a good long sleep; he’d worry about the whole mate issue after he’d gotten the gathering out of the way. Draping the towel around his neck, he headed for the shower at one end of the room to rinse off the pool water and get dressed. He’d take another, longer shower once he was up in his room.  
  
  
******

 

The morning sun shone through the glass doors and woke Benedict up. He blinked in its dazzle as he sat up slowly. That had been the best night’s sleep that he’d had in years! Just one of the benefits of total exhaustion, he thought in amusement as he got out of bed slowly and padded into the bathroom for his morning ablutions. He opened the little leather case that he carried his toiletries around in, fetching out a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, an electric razor, and a hairbrush.

He took a quick shower before brushing his teeth and shaving. In the mirror over the sink, he studied his own face as he worked up a foam in his mouth. His eyes were a rich deep brown, like loamy earth. His hair was lighter brown and curled atop his head in a messy fashion that a few of his boyfriends had really enjoyed. Danny, for example, liked to run his fingers through those curls. His bone structure was a little aquiline, his face a tad long. Though he wasn’t horse-faced, thank God. He just had the fine-boned elegance of facial feature inherited from his aristocratic ancestors. Benedict’s mother was the granddaughter of an Earl, and while that didn’t help them to acquire a fortune or a title it had given him the upper-class features that tended to attract boys in droves. Until they learned that no money or title went along with his face, that is…

He grinned to himself at this thought, wiping his face with a towel to remove the last traces of foam. He went out and opened his suitcase, deciding on a button-up white shirt and a pair of lightweight linen trousers. he got dressed, then ordered a large breakfast from room service. After that, he wandered next door to his brother’s room. But Theodore apparently wasn’t in, or wasn’t answering the door anyway. He frowned over this, but he sincerely doubted that Theodore had left the hotel entirely. So he decided to go to the lobby and see if he could find his sibling - probably in the hotel bar, if it was open this early in the day.

Benedict walked to the elevator at one end of the hall and pushed the button. He waited patiently, feeling refreshed after his long sleep and ready to do some sightseeing today if he could swing it. San Francisco was a beautiful city. The doors slid open, and he saw that there was someone else on the elevator. Benedict started to step inside, murmuring; “Excuse me,” to the other passenger, who was a fairly big man who was taking up much of the car. Or at least he seemed to be doing so, anyway…

“It’s fine. You must be part of the English clan, Black Cairn.” the man said in an American accent.

“Yes, yes I am,” Benedict replied, smelling wolf overwhelmingly now that they were in such close quarters together. “I’m Benedict Cavanaugh,” he turned to hold out his hand, and met a pair of grey eyes the color of old sterling silver that were starting to widen. His own heart suddenly kicked up its pace for some reason, thundering in his chest. And he couldn’t seem to look away from those eyes, which were pulling him in like a riptide would a drowning swimmer…

 

“I’m Kane. Kane Haley,” the other man said, sounding stunned. “I’m the Alpha of the Tall Hills clan.” he paused as Benedict just stood there silently, trying to come to terms with whatever was happening to him. Then he said in an incredulous tone of voice: “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think that you’re my mate…”

 

The man who’d identified himself as the Host Alpha of the Gathering stepped toward Benedict eagerly, his eyes gleaming. He took a step back, trying to breathe. The big body was looming over him, coming closer, invading his personal space. “Wait,” he said weakly.

The other man caged him with his arms against the side of the elevator. He pushed his face up close to Benedict’s. “God, you smell good,” he growled as his nostrils flared. He began to sniff at the side of Benedict’s neck, eagerly.

He put his hands on the man’s broad chest and pushed, although it was like pushing against a brick wall. It didn’t help at all that his body was reacting to the man’s nearness and also his scent, the musky odor of a sexually excited Alpha. “Stop,” he moaned. “I-I don’t even know you!”

Oh, God. The man’s nose was rubbing against the rim of his ear. A tongue darted out and licked at it, making him shiver helplessly. “But I know you,” the Alpha said in a low, deep voice that made his whole body throb sullenly, “You’re my mate.”

“Now wait just a second,” Benedict replied, still pushing against the man’s chest to keep him at least at a small distance from Benedict’s own body. His efforts were mostly futile, and it REALLY wasn’t helping that he was almost as aroused as this stranger. He groaned as teeth nipped at his earlobe. The strength ran out of his arms, and suddenly that big body was pressing into his. He felt the hardness of the Alpha’s erection against his stomach, and almost whined in a piteous manner. He might have a LOT of objections to what was happening, but unfortunately his wolf didn’t seem to have any at all. The beast within him was happy as a clam about this whole thing, and it was all he could do not to begin to press and grind himself against the bigger man eagerly.  
Kane’s hot breath was falling on the skin of his neck, and it was all that Benedict could do not to tilt it back and let the man have free rein. “I’ve been looking for you,” the low voice growled into his skin, “For a long time.”

Benedict panted desperately. “I don’t know…what you’re talking about,” he husked, his voice wavering. His legs were beginning to part, spreading instinctively so that Kane could settled between them more fully. What the hell was he doing? And why couldn’t he seem to stop?

 

Those blazing eyes came into view again. The hunger in them made his stomach clench. A low growl trickled from between Kane’s lips, then he kissed Benedict savagely. Those lips ate at his, devouring his mouth. And Kane’s big body was rubbing over his at the same time, sending his conscious mind into a tailspin. It was giving up the ghost altogether, forgetting his objections…  
The elevator dinged as it came to a halt. The sound made Benedict start, and his mind abruptly returned from its vacation. He shoved at Kane’s chest as hard as he possibly could, and the man actually stumbled back a few inches. “Stop this,” Benedict rasped through his kiss-swollen lips, meeting Kane’s eyes and refusing to back down. “Now.”

His command made Kane step back. He blinked as though he were a man coming out of a dream, and conscious thought returned to his brain once more. He ran a hand through his very dark blonde hair. He looked around, as though just registering the fact that he was standing in an open elevator with a view out into the lobby, with a near total stranger who he’d just sexually assaulted. “Shit,” he breathed in chagrin. “I’m sorry. I just lost it there for a second. Are you all right?” he looked at Benedict anxiously, as though expecting to see bruises or something on his body.

“I’m fine,” Benedict replied crisply, not wanting the man to feel too bad. What had just happened had been pretty much mutual; he didn’t feel violated so much as disoriented and off-balance. “I…what just happened?”

Kane seemed reassured by his words and tone of voice. “That should be obvious, “he said, shaking his head. “I recognized you as my mate. I suppose I should have talked to you about it, but it was just so overwhelming that I lost it…”

“Recognized me…I’ve never seen it work like that before!” Benedict cried. “So quickly and all of a sudden like that. In a moment, with no courting? That doesn’t seem right.”

“Whether it’s right or not, it happened,” Kane replied. “I don’t think you can refute that something significant happened just now, can you? Even if you don’t want to believe that it was what it was. SOMETHING happened, wouldn’t you agree?”

Benedict stared at him. He did have to agree, whether he liked it or not. He cleared his throat uncertainly. “Yes, I agree,” he said reluctantly. “Although I’m not ready to just jump on the idea that you recognized me in an instant as your mate just yet. It doesn’t seem possible to me.”

“It does to me,” Kane replied firmly. “And I believe that that’s EXACTLY what just happened. And I’m going to make you believe it eventually, too. You’re my mate. That’s all there is to it.”

Benedict blew out an exasperated breath, though he warily stepped out of the elevator to put some space between himself and the Alpha at the same time. “That’s as may be, but just because you believe that doesn’t mean that I have to,” he remarked, eyeing Kane as the Alpha stepped off the elevator as well.

The American cocked his head. “I love your accent,” he said, apropos of nothing. “I can’t wait to hear you calling out my name in the throes of passion.”

Benedict felt his cheeks heat, and he glanced around rather wildly. Anyone could have heard that! “Please be quiet, Mr. Haley,” he hissed.

Kane shrugged, looking unapologetic over his words. “Call me Kane,” he urged Benedict hopefully.

“No,” he replied swiftly. He was not going to fall into a trap of intimacy that was bound to bring them closer together whether he wanted it to or not. “I’m sorry, but I have to go and look for my brother.”

Kane glanced around the lobby. “Do you think he’s still in the hotel?”

Benedict shrugged helplessly. “I’ve no idea. But I must find him. Theo’s a bit of a troublemaker. I came on this trip to keep an eye on him because my father wasn’t able to.”

“So you’re just playing chaperone? You’re not here to find a mate?” Kane remarked, sounding satisfied.

Benedict’s brows lowered a bit. “Perhaps I am, perhaps I’m not,” he said sharply. “That’s none of your business, Mr. Haley.”

“Yes, it is,” Kane replied promptly. “I wouldn’t want anybody nosing in on my territory. You’re MY mate, Benedict.” he said insistently.

“I don’t believe that I gave you permission to use my given name,” Benedict snapped angrily.

“You didn’t. But I’m going to anyway. What are you going to do about it?” Kane asked with interest, looking relaxed and not terribly worried over his anger.

Benedict’s lips lifted in a silent snarl. “Don’t think, just because you’re an Alpha, that you can bully me into doing what you want,” he growled. “I’m not submissive enough for that.”

“No, you’re not, are you?” Kane said admiringly, looking him over from his flushed cheeks and snapping eyes, to his chest heaving as he fought to breathe in his anger. “I like that. I wouldn’t want a submissive mate who kowtowed to me all the time. For one thing, that wouldn’t be good for my clan. An Alpha’s mate holds pretty much the same status that he does. If you were submissive to other wolves in the clan, that could cause me problems in the future.”

“It doesn’t matter, since I categorically refuse the position,” Benedict snapped, furious that Kane was being so casual about whatever had just happened to them in the elevator. His assumption that Benedict was going to be his mate come what may was truly infuriating…

Kane smiled at him, a sight that made his ire all but disappear. The man had an AMAZING smile! “If you say so,” he remarked equably.

Benedict wanted to howl in fury and try to rip the Alpha’s magnetic eyes out. The man was so…so…fucking hot! “I’m going to find my brother,” he snarled, then stomped away without another word.

 

But much to his chagrin, Kane appeared beside him before he could make it to the hotel bar to check and see if Theodore was drinking there. “Go away,” he spat.

“No,” Kane replied calmly. “I’m going to help you find your brother. I figure that’s a good a start as any to our courtship.”

Benedict whirled on him. “For a courtship to take place, BOTH parties have to be agreeable to it!” he pointed out angrily.

Kane grinned whitely. “I know,” he replied, sounding so smug that Benedict wanted to punch him. Not that that would do any good, but it would make him feel a bit better, anyway…

“Look, you might think that you’re just that charming,” Benedict began hotly, “But you’re not. You can’t make me fall into line, you know. And I refuse to just jump on the bandwagon because you said so. When the Gathering is done, I’ll be going home to finish university. And I’ll forget that you ever existed.”

Kane folded his arms over his massive chest. “If that’s what you think, that’s fine,” he said. “Good luck with that. But you should know that I’m going to continued to pursue you until you give in and admit that we’re supposed to be mates. And if you’re so stubborn that you manage to make it back to England, I’ll just come and visit my good friend Monique Saxfield. I’ve always wanted a tour of the universities of England…”

Benedict threw his hands in the air. “You are impossible!” he cried.

Kane nodded. “That’s all part and parcel with being an Alpha, you know,” he pointed out. “NO ONE can out stubborn an Alpha, let me tell you. That’s why we generally get what we want. And what I want…” his eyes fastened on Benedict’s lips, making his breath catch in his throat at the hunger in those magnetic eyes, “Is YOU. You, Benedict Cavanaugh. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Even if you won’t admit that yet, it’s still the truth. And I’m going to keep after you until you finally give in and admit the truth to yourself.”

His mouth was dry as he stared at the stubborn set of Kane’s (admittedly chiseled, sensual) lips. There was nothing more frightening than an Alpha when they wanted something. He felt like a rabbit caught in a snare, and the worst part of all was that because of an inexplicable pull to Kane he almost welcomed the wire around his neck…


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Alpha has a plan to woo his mate

Benedict entered the hotel bar with Kane at his heels, only to find that it was closed this early in the morning. He sighed, wondering where his wayward sibling had gotten to. “Maybe he’s in the restaurant,” Kane commented from slightly behind him. “The one on top of the hotel.”

“Yes, of course,” he replied distractedly. “I’ll try there next. You don’t have to come too,” he said in exasperation when the Alpha moved to follow him toward the elevators.

“I don’t have to come, no,” Kane agreed cheerfully. “But I am going to.”

Benedict blew out an irritated breath, but continued toward the bank of elevators. He tried hard not to pay any attention to the big man pacing along beside him, but it wasn’t easy. At all. Bastard was simply too sexy and large and he roiled with power and energy. It practically came off of him in waves. Benedict gritted his teeth and strode into the elevator, remembering vividly what had happened a few moments ago in the LAST elevator that he’d been in! But fortunately Kane seemed to have decided to behave himself for now, because he positioned himself on the far side of the elevator from Benedict(which still didn’t put much room between them, but it was better than nothing…) and folded his arms over his massive chest. He didn’t say anything on the ride up to the top floor, seemingly content to just be with Benedict for the moment.

 

Benedict glanced sideways at his silent companion, taking him in. A somewhat craggy, handsome profile with a decidedly bold nose and a sensual mouth. He drew in a sharp breath as the memory of that mouth scouring his flashed through his head. He looked away hurriedly, the muscles in his abdomen tightening treacherously. He squirmed like a misbehaving schoolboy, cursing the American in his head.

 

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Benedict exited it swiftly, thankful to be able to put some distance between himself and Kane. His eyes took in the restaurant, which was glassed in on all sides and offered a magnificent view of the city and the Bay. It was a revolving restaurant, so the scenery changed every few minutes. His eyes found one of the few diners, and he felt relief when he glimpsed Theo sitting at a table eating breakfast by himself. A pretty young waitress approached him with a plate of toast, and Benedict felt his lips tighten when his brother caught at the girl’s arm as he spoke to her. The waitress looked uncomfortable as she tried to pull away.

He walked swiftly over to save her from Theo’s ‘attentions’, thinking in disgust that he couldn’t leave his brother alone for any length of time without him getting into trouble of some sort.  
“Theo,” he said sharply as he approached the table. His brother released the waitress’s arm and gave him a black look.

The girl scurried away, looking relieved, as Theo said crossly: “What do you want, Benny?”

“I want you to behave yourself, Theo, but that appears to be too much to ask,” Benedict replied dryly.

Theo’s brows drew down, and he gave his brother a sullen look. “Why don’t you bugger off, Benny? Go find a knob to polish and leave me alone,” he snarled.

He felt his shoulders tense, but before he could say anything else a low, dangerous voice growled: “You should learn some manners, pup,” Kane said as he leaned over to set one hand on the white linen tablecloth and thrust his face close to Theo’s. The younger man scooted backward, his eyes wide. Kane’s narrowed eyes bore into his, as the American went on coldly, “I don’t think that I like you. Do you know what happens to people that I don’t like? I’d suggest that you start to treat your brother better and that you speak nicely to him - or you and I will have to have a little ‘talk’. And you don’t want that, believe me,” he added, his voice so full of cold menace that Benedict took a step backward as Theo strained away from Kane’s gaze.

“Kane!” Benedict cried. The Alpha’s hot eyes swiveled to meet his.

“Leave him alone, Kane! Stop scaring him!” Benedict said sharply.

The American straightened up. “I can see that you want to protect him, and I get that,” he said in a much milder tone of voice. “But he’s a nasty little punk. I’ll leave it alone for now, because of you,” he went on simply. “But he’d better learn some manners before I see him next.” he strode away without a backward glance at either of them, heading toward the elevators.

Benedict stood and watched him walk away. His breathing was erratic, not just from anger but also from arousal. Damn it! Kane in a rage was an even more magnificent animal than normal. He took in a shuddering breath and turned toward his brother, who hadn’t moved an inch. He stepped forward and sank into the chair across from his brother. “It’s all right, Theo,” he said reassuringly.

“Who is that bastard?” Theo asked thinly, finally straightening up a little in his seat.

“That is the Host Alpha of the Gathering, Kane Haley,” Benedict told him. “And I’d suggest that you do as he says, Theo. He’s a dangerous man. You know what an angry Alpha is like. I can’t guarantee that I could save you next time, if you anger him again.”

His brother stared at him. “Ah, I see,” he remarked. “You’ve already found a bloke to shag, haven’t you? That was quick, Benny.”

He set his teeth and spoke through the clench. “That’s hardly any of your business, Theo,” he replied. “Except for the fact that what you’re suggesting would make an Alpha even more protective towards the person he was shagging. Which would make him even more dangerous. Do you really wish to poke the beast with a stick and see what happens?”

Theo glared at him, but finally shrugged. “Fine, I’ll play nice around the Alpha,” he spat. “Just for you, Benny.”

He sighed. “That’s all I can ask, Theo,” he said in resignation.  
  
  
*****

 

Angie looked up when her boss came charging into his office, his eyes agleam and his whole body full of suppressed energy. Her eyebrows shot up at the expression of glee on his face. “What’s going on, Kane?” she asked.

He grinned at her, throwing himself down into his chair behind the big carved oak desk. “Oh, I’m just happy,” he remarked, stretching out and folding his arms behind his neck. He met her eyes, still grinning.

“Why?” Angie asked cautiously.  
He unfolded his arms and leaned forward over his desk, nearly quivering with joyous energy. “I found him, Angie,” he said excitedly, “I finally found him.”

“Found who?” she asked, baffled.

His grin widened. “My mate,” he said triumphantly.

Her mouth dropped open. “You…you found…seriously?!” she nearly shrieked.

He nodded, looking satisfied and victorious. “Who is he? Where did you meet him? Is he a wolf?” Angie cried, needing to know every detail.

“He’s a wolf, and I met him at the hotel,” Kane explained. “He’s not of our clan, Angie. He’s a part of Black Cairn, the English clan. He came as a chaperone for his brother, who’s attending the Gathering. Although I doubt he’ll find anybody,” he added scornfully, getting off track a bit, “He’s a nasty piece of work.”

“But this guy, your mate,” Angie said urgently, trying to get him back on track again. “Who is he? What’s his name?”

“Benedict Cavanaugh,” he said, rolling the name off of his tongue as though savoring a fine wine.

“Tell me all about it. Where did you meet? What did you say? Come on, spill it, Kane!” she cried, making grabbing motions with her hands at him.

He chuckled. But then he sobered a bit, looking rather sheepish. “Actually, we met in an elevator. And I…” he scratched at the top of his head like a guilty little boy, “I kind of attacked him.”

“YOU WHAT?!” she shrieked, her eyes wide.

He made waving motions with his hands. “It’s not as bad as you think. Let me tell you the story,” and he gave her a rundown on his encounter with Benedict, up until the point where he’d left the restaurant.

She listened mostly in silence, and when he was done she slapped a hand over her eyes and groaned. “God, Kane, for a smart man you are the biggest idiot ever,” she told him in a pained voice.

“What? What’s the matter?” he asked in bewilderment.

She lowered her hand to give him a gimlet stare. “So you’ve basically told the guy that you want to spend the rest of your life with that you’re going to stalk him relentlessly. And this AFTER you attacked him in an elevator! Jesus, Kane, why don’t you just tell him that you’ve dug a grave in your backyard that would be perfect for his body after you do him in? Besides, it sounds to me like this guy isn’t that thrilled with the idea of being your mate. If you’re going to court him, you have to use some gentleness and romance, not just throw yourself on him and promise to follow him around wherever he goes. That’s not going to make him fall in love with you. And please remember - even if his wolf is happy about this whole thing, if the rest of him isn’t then he may never agree to be your mate no matter what you do. You’ve got to change your game plan, or this guy could slip through your fingers.”

He looked alarmed. “Are you sure?” he asked.

She snorted. “Of course I’m sure! If some guy threw himself on ME, I’d be more inclined to kick him in the balls than to rejoice and accept him as my mate. He doesn’t know a thing about you, doesn’t have any reason to even like you, let alone love you - you’ve got to give him some good reasons, Kane. You’ve got to let him see the great guy that you are, not an obsessive, deranged stalker intent on taking him no matter whether he wants you to or not.”

He wilted visibly. “So what should I do?” he asked in a worried voice.

She sighed. “How about this? Make him a deal. Tell him that if he allows you to court him for the next two weeks while the Gathering is going on, if at the end of that time he still doesn’t want you you’ll let him go back to England unmolested and you won’t bother him again. You need to give him some breathing room and some control over his own fate here, Kane. It’s the only way.”

“But what if he doesn’t want me after the two weeks are over?” Kane asked miserably. “What would I do then?”

She gave him an incredulous look. “Are you serious? You really don’t think that you can sweep someone off their feet in the space of two weeks? Come on, Kane. You could charm water from the rocks if you want to. Believe me, this Benedict Cavanaugh won’t stand a chance against you. And at least this way, he won’t be fighting you every step of the way for the next two weeks. He’ll have to let you charm him, or all bets are off. Besides, if he’s in a more cooperative frame of mind, you can introduce him to our clan without worrying that he’ll reject them just because he doesn’t like YOU. And that’s important, if he’s to be your mate. He needs to accept the rest of the clan, not just you. Don’t you think that this would be better all around?”

He nodded, resting his chin on his hand. “You’re right, as usual. I’ll talk to him about it tonight at the first Gathering. And then I have to do everything that I can to convince Benedict Cavanaugh that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me.”

“Somehow I don’t see that as being the world’s hardest task,” Angie remarked dryly. “Because I’m convinced that you could talk a chaste saint into committing lewd acts with you if you put your mind to it.”

“That wouldn’t be hard,” Kane replied drolly, “Since chaste saints tend to be very deprived so it’s easy to seduce them. Now a jaded whore, that might be a more difficult proposition…”

She laughed. “But still doable. And next to that jaded whore, Benedict Cavanaugh should be a piece of cake.”

 

*****

 

Benedict stepped out of the van that had been used to transport the members of his clan to the Gathering. Theodore slid around him, a petulant scowl on his face. He wasn’t in a good mood, since none of the females who had shared the van would have anything to do with him. They WERE from his clan, after all. They all knew what Theodore was like, and he would probably have a bruise on his left arm after the girl he’d tried to pinch had punched him quite briskly in return. She’d also threatened to rip his throat out if he didn’t behave himself for the rest of the drive to the farm, so he’d been sulking in silence ever since.

Benedict took a deep breath, tasting the air. He smelled cows and grass and flowers, not to mention the not-so-nice aroma of dung. It was good to get out of the city for awhile, even if he was only here as a chaperone for Theodore. His kind weren’t meant to be mewed up in concrete wastelands. He knew that many of the people now emerging from the other vans felt the same as he, as he could clearly see many of them sniffing the air appreciatively and stretching their limbs in celebration of their freedom.

His nerves were on edge. He’d pretty much locked himself in his hotel room all day to avoid Kane Haley, but he’d been aware that if the Alpha wanted to see him he’d find a way. He’d jumped at every knock on the door, but hadn’t seen hide nor hair off Kane since this morning in the restaurant. He wasn’t sure what to make of this, and he felt tense as he readied himself for whatever Kane would try tonight at the Gathering. As host Alpha, he was sure to be here.

“Hey!” a voice called over the murmurs of speech. Everyone turned to see a woman standing beside an open gate that led into a huge field. She waved a hand at them all. “This way!” she called. “Everybody over here!”

She stepped aside as the unmated members of the various clans began to file past her into the field. They found a large crowd waiting for them, with the various Alphas standing in front. Benedict felt his heart lurch and his stomach knot when he saw Kane Haley standing at the very forefront of the group, and wished that he were shorter so that he could disappear among the crowd of people around him. He felt as though Kane’s eyes were boring through him, stripping him naked and leaving him vulnerable and apprehensive. It was probably just his imagination that made him feel this way, since Kane’s eyes were scanning the crowd and hadn’t focused on him yet. He really needed to pull himself together…

 

Kane spoke, his powerful voice carrying to everyone in the crowd(not that this was difficult; they all had very acute hearing) “Welcome. I’m Kane Haley, Alpha of the Tall Hills Clan and your host Alpha for the first of what we hope to be many successful Gatherings,” he said pleasantly with a smile for all of them. “You all recognizes your own Alphas, of course; the rest of the people behind me are members of my clan, here to make sure that the evening goes well. If any of you have any questions or concerns as the evening proceeds, please approach either your own Alpha or one of them. You’ll know my clan members by the buttons they’re wearing on their shirts,” he added, and Benedict clearly saw that one of the taller of the men in the small crowd had a large red button with two big letters in white, ‘TH’ written on the front of it, pinned to the front of his shirt.

“I want to say, I’m really hoping that many of you find potential mates during this Gathering. As most of you know, the clans are stuck in something of a quandary. If we inbreed too much within our own clans, we see an increase in birth defects among our children. But if we mate with too many normal humans instead, many of the children produced lack a wolf nature,” Kane said soberly. “That’s not to say that you’re being pressured into anything - you will not be forced to mate outside of your own clan. We simply hope that by bringing you all here together, you’ll find someone you like the look of who just happens to be from another clan. This is a social mixer, nothing more. And we want you to enjoy yourselves whether you find a potential mate or not,” he went on. “As you can see, we’ve made a lot of preparations for tonight,” he indicated the huge field behind him with one hand.

Looking where he pointed, Benedict saw that dozens of lights on tall metal poles lined the edges of the field, producing a soft glow. There was a long table covered with a white cloth, and loaded down with various kinds of food and drink. A massive stereo system had been set up at one side, and a man wearing a button that indicated that he was from Kane’s clan was setting up a turntable and some microphones. “You’ll be able to eat, drink, talk, and dance,” Kane said, bringing his attention back to the Alpha. “And later on, as the moon rises, your Alphas will be taking you on a Hunt together. There are deer in these hills, and no close neighbors to wonder about why there are so many large ‘dogs’ running around,” Kane said with a wry smile. “Anyway, enjoy your evening and welcome to San Francisco,” he finished, stepping back into the crowd of Alphas.

The group that had gathered to welcome them dissipated, and they were able to move forward into the field. As of yet, they were all still gathered together with their clan members, warily eyeing the other clans. Benedict heard Theodore mutter: “Sodding Alpha. Thinks he’s God’s gift to everything, doesn’t he? Why are you shagging that bastard, Benny?”

“Maybe because he actually IS God’s gift to everything, Theo - or at least in the sack, anyway,” Benedict replied equitably, not bothering to explain to his sibling that he wasn’t sleeping with Kane at all. He wouldn’t believe it, and he didn’t care for the headache of beating his head against the brick wall that was his brother.

Theo snorted, but wandered off without saying another word. He, at least, knew the value of approaching females who weren’t from his clan and so didn’t know about him. Strangers worked for Theo, since all of the eligible unmated females in HIS clan despised him. He set his eyes on a pretty dark-haired girl chatting with some other girls, practically licking his lips as he walked toward her.

 

Behind him, Benedict sighed but didn’t pursue him. He was sure that the girl could fend for herself - since there was no disparity in strength among males and females in the clans, she could beat the living daylights out of Theo if he went too far. And he’d deserve it, the idiot. Theo simply had no idea whatsoever how to talk to or act around women. He was more versed in male/female relations, and he was gay!

A hand touched his arm, and he whirled around to face Kane Haley. His insides did some more knotting as the host Alpha said quietly: “Can I talk to you in private, Mr. Cavanaugh?”

Benedict stared warily at him, but Kane had called him by his last name and wasn’t making any moves to grab or fondle him. “Talk? About what?” he asked suspiciously.

The Alpha gave him a lidded look. “About the weather, of course,” he said impatiently. “Don’t be deliberately obtuse. I promise not to manhandle you if you talk to me, and besides I have a proposition for you that I think you’ll want to hear.”

Benedict studied his face, but Kane looked sincere. “Very well ,then,” he said tightly. “Let’s talk.”  
Looking satisfied, Kane waved for him to follow him to the far end of the field. There were no lights here, but his wolf’s eyes had no problem being able to still see Kane’s face as the Alpha turned to look at him. “What is this about?” he asked again, all of his muscles tense.

Kane sighed softly. “It’s about this morning in the elevator,” he replied simply. “I haven’t changed my mind - I’m still convinced that you’re my mate. But my assistant, bless her heart, pointed out that I was being an idiot where you’re concerned. That it wouldn’t be a good idea to scare or threaten you if I want you to be my mate. So with that in mind, she came up with a proposition that I think we can both live with. It’s just this…if you allow me to court you for the next two weeks while the Gathering is going on, at the end of that time if you still don’t want to be my mate I’ll let you go back to England and won’t bother you again. What do you think?”  
Benedict was stunned. Here he’d feared that the relentless Alpha would pursue him to the ends of the Earth(or at least to the end of his sanity), and now Kane was making a rational proposal like this? “How do I know…that you’ll keep up your end of the bargain?” he asked after a moment’s silence.

Kane said firmly: “You have my word as an Alpha. If you go home, I won’t come after you. I swear.”

Benedict knew that his word was good. Alphas never made promises that they couldn’t keep. This seemed the best way all around; all he had to do was let Kane court him for two weeks. That wouldn’t be so bad, would it? But… “How far will you be allowed to go during this courting?” he asked warily.

Kane lifted a brow. “As far as you’ll let me,” he replied. “I won’t try to have sex with you unless you tell me that you want me to, although you’ll have to let me kiss you at least. That’s only fair.”

Thinking of Kane’s kisses in the elevator, Benedict wasn’t sure that it was fair at all! But still, this was his only chance to have any control over this situation. If he said no, then Kane would pursue him relentlessly rather than just courting him. He lifted his head and met Kane’s gaze. “I agree to your proposal, Mr. Haley,” he said.

He wasn’t sure that he liked how satisfied Kane looked with his reply. The Alpha nodded in acceptance. “But you have to start calling me Kane,” he told Benedict. “And I’ll call you Ben, at least until the two weeks are up. Okay?”

Again, not very okay at all. But it would be rude to insist that Kane call him by his last name when they were courting. “As you say,” he replied.

A white grin. “Ben. It’s a deal. Do you want to dance, or get something to eat?”

Benedict stared at him, realizing that the courting had begun already. He supposed that he didn’t blame Kane; the man only had two weeks in which to convince Benedict that he should be his mate. “I’d like something to eat,” he replied, which was the truth since he hadn’t eaten very much today because his stomach had been twisted into knots out of anxiety.

Kane stepped toward him, and Benedict stiffened. But the Alpha merely took a hold of his arm at the elbow and said softly: “Let me escort you to the buffet table, Ben,” before steering him away toward the white-linen covered table further up the field.

He tried to ignore the shiver that went through him when Kane’s hot breath wafted into his ear, but it was impossible to do so entirely. Benedict realized that he was probably going to regret making this deal over the course of the next two weeks, but what else could he have done? This was still his best chance to get away from Kane Haley for good - so why did he feel as though he’d just made a deal with the Devil? 

 

Benedict was having a hard time eating, despite the fact that the beef on his plate looked and smelled wonderful and he hadn’t eaten much today. He was far too aware of Kane’s hungry eyes, and the burning flame flickering in their depths. It aroused him and left him feeling uneasy and anxious in almost equal parts. He took a bite from his plate and forced himself to chew and swallow, his own eyes fastened on his plate as though he could divine the wisdom of the universe in the pattern.

He heard Kane’s voice speak above his bent head. “Do I make you nervous, Ben? I thought that you had more spine than that,” he sounded teasing and wryly amused.

His eyes flew up to meet the Alpha’s, and the anger in his stare made Kane grin and wink. “Now see, there’s the spirit that I saw this morning,” he commented in satisfaction. “The guy determined not to let me run all over the top of him. That’s a good trait in an Alpha’s mate. You have to be able to stand up to me, especially if you think I’m being an idiot or something. I’m really looking forward to it, actually,” he added, taking a bite of his own food and chewing it vigorously.

Benedict sighed. “You really are impossible, you know that?” he said in annoyance.

Kane nodded. “Yep. I know. Although from having seen your brother this morning, it seems to me that you’re used to putting up with much worse already. I should be a breeze in comparison.”

“Perhaps, but at least I’m dominant to my brother,” Benedict remarked tartly.

“Too true. But there are so many ways that you can wrap me around your little finger,” Kane told him with a naughty smile that had a bad effect on Benedict’s abdomen(and parts lower down as well), “Without it becoming a dominance contest. I’ll probably end up as your lap dog, you know.”

He snorted genteelly. “I highly doubt that,” he replied in a crisp voice.

Kane smiled widely. “See? Now you’re talking to me. I don’t want you to act all cowed around me, like you’re afraid that I’ll bite you or something. I might actually end up biting you, but that would be with your full cooperation,” he added in a murmur, a wicked light in his eyes.  
Benedict felt his stomach muscles tighten treacherously, and his mouth was suddenly very dry. He picked up a glass of water from the table and gulped at it, while Kane watched him with a slight smile on his handsome face. Wanker! Benedict thought to himself in irritation. The Alpha was a devil, plain and simple. Time to change the subject, though Kane seemed good at making everything an innuendo.

“How old are you, Kane?” he asked, making the American look surprised at this personal question.

“Thirty-two,” he replied promptly. “What about you?”

“I’m twenty-four,” Benedict said. “The gap in our ages explains some things. You’re in the age bracket where men really start to think about settling down and having a family. I, however, am just starting out in life. I haven’t even graduated from university yet! I don’t think that I’m ready for a mate, or any of the responsibilities entailed in having one either. Especially when said mate is an Alpha. I’d be responsible for the welfare of your entire clan, just as you are.”

“Yes, you would,” Kane agreed. “But I happen to think that you’d do a marvelous job. You already seem to excel at the thankless task of taking care of your brother, even though he probably drives you nuts. And as for not having finished school - you could transfer to Berkeley, or I could take a vacation and travel to England while you were finishing up your degree. That’s not nearly the road block that you seem to think it is.”

“There ARE no road blocks for you, are there, Kane?” he asked in exasperation.

The Alpha shook his head. “No, not any that matter,” he replied.

Benedict rolled his eyes. “What about my earlier contention about the difference in our ages?”

Kane shrugged. “You’re younger than me, yes,” he said. “But you seem to be at least as mature in your head where it counts as I am. Serious, capable, and a caretaker. NOT your normal twenty-four year old just looking to have fun and get laid. Or do you constantly party instead of going to classes?” he asked curiously, looking at Benedict.

“No, I do not,” he said, annoyed that he couldn’t just say ’yes’.

Kane grinned. “There, see? If you’re already responsible, what would be the harm in tasking on a little more responsibility?”

“A little more?! You’re talking about an entire wolf clan here, Kane!” Benedict said in agitation.

“Ah, they pretty much take care of themselves for the most part,” Kane said with an airy wave of his hand.

Benedict wanted to fling his plate at Kane’s head, but refrained out of good manners(and hunger) from doing so. “Nevertheless,” he began, speaking through his clenched teeth, “The only way that I would take on more responsibility is…”

“If I made it worth your while,” Kane finished for him. “I could do that, believe me,” his eyes raked Benedict’s body, and the heat in them made his body react sharply.

“That wasn’t what I was going to say!” he protested. “Don’t put words into my mouth!”

Kane cocked his head. “Oh, I wouldn’t put…words…in your mouth, Ben,” he said silkily.

He gasped. “Is this what you call courting?!” he hissed angrily. “Trying to seduce me? Because let me tell you, Kane, even if I succumbed to your blandishments, that doesn’t mean that I’d be willing to stay after we fell into bed together! Remember, I have to agree to be your MATE, not just your bedmate!”

Kane looked startled for a moment. Then his expression turned admiring as he looked at Benedict’s flushed face and snapping eyes. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t really mean it,” he said. “I admit that I want to seduce you; that I think you’re the hottest thing ever. Is there anything wrong with that? I mean, really? Shouldn’t I want to be with my mate? To not want anybody else but him? To want to jump on him every second of every day just because he’s so sexy and I want him so much?”

His words gave Benedict pause. Grudgingly he had to admit that Kane was right. But… “Must you turn everything that you say to me into an innuendo?” he asked tightly. “Can’t we just have a real conversation?”

Kane nodded. “Now for that, I WILL apologize,” he said. “Besides, I want to talk to you. I want to know everything about you. Like…what are you studying in school?”

“Sociology, actually,” he replied.

“Sociology?” Now Kane looked amused again. “That’s a little odd, isn’t it?”

“Why? I see nothing wrong with studying human behavior.” Benedict protested.

“Oh, there’s nothing wrong with it at all. But we’re not exactly entirely human, are we? Our reactions are sometimes quite off the beam,” Kane pointed out.

“True. But since I have no intention of publishing a paper on our clans, it’s a moot point,” Benedict remarked calmly.

Kane laughed. “I’d like to see you get a paper like that published,” he commented in amusement.

Benedict had to admit that it would be funny if he tried to publish a paper on the behaviors in a wolf clan. He’d be laughing all the way to the lunatic asylum… “May I ask what you do when you’re not being an Alpha to the Tall Hills clan?” he asked in turn. “You seem to be quite wealthy. Didn’t you pay to book our hotel for the entire two weeks of the Gathering? That must be costing you a fortune.”

Kane shrugged his broad shoulders carelessly. “I’m filthy rich,” he told Benedict. “But since you’re not a gold digger I doubt you care about that. I made my money in my twenties when I formed a software company that I later sold for forty million dollars. One of my clan, who is a genius with money, turned around and quadrupled it on the stock market. So I’m worth roughly a hundred and ten million dollars, although most of that I consider to be the clan’s money more than my own. That way, I can help anybody who needs it at any time. And I don’t have to do any work - I’m a retiree.” he said with a grin. “I’m considering getting a sweater vest any day now.”  
Benedict found himself laughing. “You’re not actually retired, though,” he pointed out. “Not so long as you’re Alpha of your clan. That’s a full time job, I’d assume.”

“It is. Especially since I don’t have a mate to share any of my problems and duties with,” Kane said, letting his shoulders slump as he gave Benedict soulful ‘sad, puppy dog eyes’.

Benedict shook his head. “Making me feel sorry for you won’t work either,” he said.

Kane’s eyes were twinkling. “Can’t blame a man for trying.”  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo gets a little reality check from an unexpected person, and Kane turns all of his charm on poor Benedict.

A/N: Because you asked for it, here it is. Also, someone ratted me out to Weebly, my website builder, and they banned my fan fiction site because it contains adult material. So if you can't find it anymore, don't be surprised. I'll put the rest of my fan fiction stories up on here instead when I can get access again to the computer that they're stored on, since my friend and roommate had a family emergency and took her laptop with her to Arizona. I'm also going to speed up putting all of my stories from my original slash fic site on here, because someone might report me for that, too, and it'll disappear as well. Just a head's up for you. -DL 

 

Theo Cavanaugh stormed away from the little group that he’d just been in, followed by several sets of glares. ‘Damned bitches!’ he thought furiously as he went, a black scowl on his face. He hated clan women. They always had their noses in the air, and looked down on him at every opportunity. As though he weren’t as good as they were! Human women were better. He wished that he hadn’t had to come to this stupid gathering. But his father had threatened to cut him off completely if he didn’t, so he’d reluctantly come even though he knew he was going to hate every moment.

He heard laughter coming from nearby, and whirled around to see a girl leaning against a fence post and watching him. At least he thought it might be a girl - her face was painted ghost-white, and her hair was dyed night black. Her arms were folded over the front of long black leather coat.

“What’s so funny?!” he snarled at her.

She fluffed her black hair idly. “You are, silly puppy,” she drawled. “I saw you over there,” she waved a hand back at the group that he’d just deserted in a huff, “Trying to glom onto the girls like you think you’re a leech or something. Didn’t anybody ever tell you that girls hate that? It’s a wonder one of them didn’t smack you.”

His lips lifted off his teeth. “When I want advice, I’ll ask for it,” he said angrily.

She shrugged. “That’s too bad, because you sure could use some,” she taunted, straightening up. “But whatever. If you want to go on being an idiot, far be it for me to interfere,” she waggled her fingers at him and started to stroll away.

“Wait,” he growled.

She paused, looking at him over her shoulder. “What?”

He glowered at her. “What kind of advice?” he asked.

Her thin black brows lifted. “All kinds, actually,” she remarked. “Like how not to act like such a complete jerk, and how to actually pick up women rather than just getting rejected all the time, and…”

“Fine! I get it!” he snarled. “Why would you help me?” he demanded suspiciously.

To his surprise, she grinned widely. “I’m doing my uncle a favor,” she remarked. “He’s interested in your brother, I can tell. I don’t want him to have to deal with someone like you while he’s busy courting somebody. So I’ll keep you busy for the next couple of weeks and keep you out of his hair.”

He gaped at her. “Who’s your uncle?”

“I think you might know him. His name is Kane Haley.”

 

“That wanker is your uncle?!” Theo squalled in disbelief, staring at the pale chick as though he thought that she were crazy. “He didn’t look that old,” he added suspiciously.

She snorted. “He’s not. He’s only thirty-two. But he was a surprise baby when my mom was ten years old. Uncle Kane is only twelve years older than I am.”

“You don’t look twenty,” he remarked dubiously, looking her over.

“And you don’t act like you’re in your twenties. What’s your point?” she drawled sardonically.

He scowled at her. Typical bitch, he fumed. Seeing his expression, she grinned. “What’s the matter, puppy? Did I hit a nerve?” she gibed. “Get over it. If the shoe fits, as they say…”

Theo growled in the back of his throat. “I don’t have to take this,” he snarled. He turned to stalk away, but she somehow moved quickly enough that she was suddenly standing in his path. He stopped, eyeing her warily. “Get out of my way,” he said in a dangerous tone of voice.

She tilted her head up to look at him. Again, he was amazed that somebody as tall as that Alpha would have such a small niece. Or that she actually was so short, considering that she seemed much taller because of her presence and the power she exuded. “I can’t let you go off in a snit,” she told him. “Because you’ll just go and get into trouble somewhere again. And you’ll interrupt my uncle’s courting, because your brother will have to come and corral you. I can’t have that. So you’ll just have to stay here and talk to me.”

“What makes you think that I’ll stay here if I don’t want to?” he demanded, his lips lifting off of his teeth a little.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, there was a golden sheen to their surfaces that made his stomach clench. “I can make you stay,” she told him, and the command in her voice made him flinch slightly. “Believe me. My mom likes to tell me that I’m a lot like my uncle, and she’s right. Maybe when I’m older I’ll even be an Alpha. If you don’t stay here and talk to me willingly, then you’ll stay here and talk to me under duress. Which will it be?”

Staring down into her eyes like a mouse mesmerized by the hypnotic gaze of a serpent, he said: “I’ll stay and talk to you.”

She looked pleased, which surprised him. “There now, that wasn’t so hard,” she said as the light slid away from the surfaces of her eyes. “Was it? I promise not to be too mean to you, puppy. We can have a nice talk, and your brother can get to know my uncle better. It will work out for everybody all around.”

“If you say so,” he muttered, which made her laugh. She had a very nice laugh.

“I do,” she said, relaxing. “Besides, look at it this way - if you really don’t like your brother, and he becomes Uncle Kane’s mate, you’ll hardly ever have to see him again, will you? Because you’re British, and he’ll come and live here in San Francisco with my uncle and our clan. I’d think that would be incentive enough for you to back off and let them court. But I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong,” she went on with a shrug of her leather-clad shoulders.

Theo was taken aback by her statement. He hadn’t thought of that, but if Benedict did become that Alpha’s mate most likely he WOULD move here to California! He’d barely ever have to deal with his brother again - and more importantly, maybe his parents would pay less attention to their ‘golden boy’ and more attention to their younger son for a change. He liked that thought. In fact, he liked it a lot. “Okay, then,” he said aloud to her. “You’ve got a point. I’ll stay out of Benny’s way while your wanker uncle courts him.”

She nodded, but eyed him suspiciously. “I don’t know what a ‘wanker’ is,” she said, “But something tells me that I wouldn’t like the meaning of the term. Would I?”

He shrugged. “Probably not,” he replied.  
  
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******

 

Unaware that his brother had been ’detained’ by Kane’s niece, Benedict was scanning the crowd rather anxiously to see if he could spot Theo anywhere. But there was no sign of his brother, and he felt apprehension run through him. Was his sibling off somewhere that he couldn’t see causing trouble? Well, at least no fights had broken out yet…

As though his thoughts had been a spur, yelling and snarling broke out not too far away. Benedict cursed and dove into the crowd, followed closely by Kane. The Alpha helped to clear a path for him using both his size and dominance, and they managed to get to the spot where the sounds were coming from much faster than he would have been able to on his own. The crowd had cleared a space in the grass, and two large wolves were circling each other while baring their teeth threateningly. To his relief, neither had the dark-brown fur that Theo’s wolf form possessed. One was sandy-colored, and the other had black fur.

The two wolves came together in a snarling, growling, biting mass, and a girl standing anxiously near the edge of the circle cried out and visibly wrung her hands together. Kane snarled in disgust and strode fearlessly into the circle, reaching out to grab two ruffs with his big hands and haul the struggling beasts away from each other. “Enough!” he yelled loudly enough to get their attention. “I’ll knock your heads together if you both don’t stop this fighting!” when the two wolves snarled at him, he snarled right back and made them wilt in his grasp.

“Change back,” he instructed them both, tossing them away from him in two directions. “Now.”

The wolves stood with their fur bridled but their tails tucked under them for a moment, glaring at each other. But then their bodies began to flow and change, swiftly becoming two young human males(still wearing their intact clothes; one of the gifts that the blood of gods had given them along with their ability to transform into wolves), both sulking and staring daggers at each other across the circle.

Kane eyed them both. “Who started this? And why?” he demanded.

Both the males glanced at the girl, who looked ashamed and even more anxious as the Alpha turned his gaze on her. “I-I didn’t mean to!” She protested. “I wasn’t leading either of them on, Alpha! It’s just…I sort of like both of them…” she said helplessly.

“Ah, I see,” Kane remarked in understanding. He turned to the two young males. “Listen up, you two,” he began. “Fighting over a girl is no way to make her like you. Most of the time, unless there’s a really good reason for the fight, it just makes her dislike you instead. You have to let HER,” he indicated the watching girl with his hand, “Decide which one of you that she likes more. Dominance fights only decide leadership questions; not mating questions. Besides, if one of you had hurt the other I’d simply kick both of you out of this Gathering and send you back home anyway. So what would this fight have accomplished? A little more thinking with your heads, and a little less thinking with your private parts. Is that clear?”

Now they both looked rather sheepish, their shoulders drooping. “I’m sorry, Alpha,” the black-haired one said unhappily. “It’s just…” he glanced at the girl, then dropped his eyes to the grass.

“You’re surrounded by other wolves, and the girl that you like is encouraging another male too,” Kane finished for him. “I get that. But you have to learn some control over your wolf instincts. And your primitive male instincts, for that matter…” he added with a wry quirk of his lips. “So here’s my judgment. Both of you will take turns talking to her,” he nodded at the girl, who looked relieved, “And the other will stay far away until it’s his turn. You’ll take it in hour shifts, and no bad mouthing your rival or trying to cut him out. Show some manners and respect for each other, and I won’t send you packing. Got it?”

“Yes, Alpha,” they both said, almost in tandem.

Kane nodded, then turned to the girl. “Don’t try to play them against each other,” he said to her, his tone faintly threatening, “Because if you do, and I get wind of it…”

She cowered, her head bowed. “I won’t, Alpha,” she replied. “I’m sorry…”

“No need to be sorry. Boys will be boys, of any species. Okay, you get the first hour,” he pointed at the black-haired boy, “Starting now,” he went on, glancing at his watch. “When he comes to take your place, no grumbling or arguing. Got it?” he looked at the sandy-haired youth as he said this, and the black-haired boy nodded.

“I understand, Alpha,” the black-haired one said.

“Great. You’ve both been warned. Either one of you starts anything else, and you’re gone. No excuses, no reprieves. Now, let’s everybody get back to having fun!” he called, raising his voice so that the watchers could hear him as well.

The crowd looked happy to return to what they’d been doing before the fight had broken out. The black-haired boy went off with the girl, looking happy. The sandy-haired one trailed away with a miserable expression on his face. Kane turned to Benedict with a smile. “Always going to be a bit of trouble when there are so many of us in one place,” he remarked “Especially when this is basically about mating. Gets the cubs overexcited,” he added indulgently.

Benedict found himself laughing a little. “And not just the cubs,” he noted, reminding Kane about the scene in the elevator.

The Alpha looked almost as sheepish as the boys had. “Well, it’s understandable,” he said defensively. “Finding your mate is a very exciting thing. I couldn’t help myself any more than they could help fighting over the girl they both like.”

“I quite understand,” Benedict told him, his lips quirking. “To tell you the truth, I think your impetuosity is rather…attractive, actually. It’s one of your better qualities. Especially when coupled with having enough control to apologize and back off afterward. I must say, I also have to give you kudos for how you handled that situation just now. Some Alphas would have punished those boys much more severely.”

Kane shook his head. “Nobody got hurt,” he said. “No need to punish them too severely. And now they’ll be on their best behavior for the rest of the Gathering. So will the girl. I’d have hated to break up a potential mating by sending any of them home, especially since it’s only the first night.”

“Reasonable,” Benedict agreed.

Kane grinned suddenly. “Well, you’ll find that I’m mostly a reasonable guy,” he told Benedict affably. “Except where it comes to you, that is. Then I get really unreasonable, because I want you for my mate. But then - who ever said that love was reasonable?” 

 

*****

 

Theo eyed the girl warily. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked her.

She shrugged. “Anything. For example - I don’t actually know what your name is.”

Surprised, he replied: “I’m Theodore. Theodore Cavanaugh. But everybody calls me Theo.”

“Theo,” she mused. “Not Teddy. I think I like that. I’m Ariadne, by the way. Ariadne Mathews.”

“Ariadne?” he repeated incredulously.

She laughed. “Most people call me Ari. But Mom loves Greek mythology, and I guess she got a kick out of naming me after the wife of the God of Wine, Dionysus. But I’m not going to be like her - she had like nine kids with him! Yuck.”

“Don’t you like kids?”

“Sure I do. One at a time, that is. About all I could handle.” she tilted her head to the side. “I’d ask if you like kids, but unless you don’t like yourself I have to assume that you do.”

He scowled at her for this gibe. “You’re just like everybody else,” he muttered sullenly.

Her darkened brows lifted. “I am? How so?” she asked curiously.

He looked away, his jaw tight. “Everybody always looks down on me,” he growled, his arms folding tightly over his chest.

“Do they? Or do you just assume that they do? If you always react like that’s what people are doing, after awhile they really will start to look down on you. Because they’ll be annoyed and irritated that you do that, and they’ll start to think that you’re nothing but a petulant brat. How about waiting to see if people are actually looking down on you before reacting next time? You might be surprised,” Ariadne commented calmly.

He looked back at her, a slight frown on his face. “What do you know about it?” he demanded.

She gave him a shrewd look. “I’ve got you pegged, puppy. I know what your real problem is.”

He scowled blackly. “Oh? And what’s that?” he asked angrily.

Ariadne shook her head. “You’re a submissive,” she told him. “Surrounded by dominants, I’ll bet,” she went on, meeting his eyes fearlessly. “I’d also bet that they’ve always sort of made you feel small -without meaning to - about being the way you are. That’s why dominants make you so mad. That’s why you think that they’re looking down on you. Because they’re all dominants, your family may not know how to treat you properly. When you were a kid, they probably ignored you most of the time, right? Because you weren’t pushy or dominant, so they didn’t realize that you needed attention too. I can tell just by looking at him that your brother is a dominant, so he probably got the bulk of your parents’ attention. Again, without meaning to, he stole what should have been yours by right. By now, you’re so angry about it that you do the only thing that you can to protest - you lash out at everybody. You sulk and you cause trouble because you want them to pay SOME attention to you. You’re practically screaming ’look at me!’ every time you cause havoc. That’s the problem with a submissive in a family of dominants with no Alpha in it - dominants don’t always recognize or value submissives properly if they don’t have an Alpha’s protective nature toward his or her clan.”

His jaw was dangling as he stared at her in shock. He felt chilled to his bones. Exposed and stripped of any protection, right out here in the open under her all-seeing eyes. He wanted to flee, but he couldn’t. All he could do was fight not to cower and finish making a fool of himself. Ariadne waited patiently for him to recover, but when he said nothing after a few minutes she continued: “It’s okay, Theo,” in a soothing tone of voice. “I won’t tell anybody else. It’s your personal business, after all. But I’ve gotta say this - you shouldn’t be ashamed about being a submissive. There’s nothing wrong with being one. We all have our place in the clan, and that’s how it should be. What you have to do is find someone who values you as you are, and doesn’t expect you to be someone that you’re not. I suppose that you’re generally drawn to really dominant girls because they remind you of your family, but many of them won’t value or appreciate you either. You need to find a girl who understands and likes a guy who’s submissive.”

His mouth was finally working again. “Like there are any girls like that,” he said scornfully.

She smiled suddenly, taking him aback. “Oh, there are a few,” she murmured. “More than you’d think, actually. You just have to know where to look.”  


******  
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Kane and Benedict were standing on the edge of the ‘dance floor’, watching some of the younger wolves gyrating on the grass. “Did you want to dance?” Kane asked doubtfully.

He shook his head wryly. “No, thank you. I’ve never been that coordinated. I end up looking like a man who’s been possessed.”

Kane rumbled a laugh. “That’s fine by me,” he said. “I’m too big to be graceful. We’ll leave it to the youngsters.”

Benedict eyed him. “I’m about the same age as most of these people,” he pointed out acerbically. “Speak for yourself.”

Kane grinned. “Well, you just seem older than you actually are,” he pointed out. “Not in a bad way,” he added hurriedly, “Just very mature for your age. I like that.”

“Is there anything about me that you don’t like?” Benedict asked, eyeing him.

Kane shrugged. “Nothing so far. I might find something as time goes by, but I’m not holding my breath.”

He rolled his eyes. “As you say,” he replied.

Kane leaned toward him, and he felt hot breath tickle his ear. He shivered as Kane breathed: “I REALLY like the way you talk. Not just your accent, but how intelligent and high-class you sound. I figure that if you talk dirty to me, in that refined voice, it’ll really drive me crazy…”

He gasped in a sharp breath as his body came alive. Traitorous thing that it was, it throbbed sullenly as he forced himself to frown at Kane. “I thought I asked you not to say thing like that,” he said, trying to sound exasperated rather than aroused. “To court me properly.”

Kane contrived to look apologetic, an expression that he couldn’t quite manage. “I know.” he said, straightening up again. ’But I just can’t seem to help myself. Can you blame me? You’re so sexy that I can’t help myself.”

Benedict sighed. He was silently flattered by how much Kane desired him. Who wouldn’t be? A handsome, powerful Alpha was practically drooling down his neck, consumed with lust for him. He’d never encountered anything like it before. He’d mostly done the pursuing in his other relationships. He wasn’t used to being courted by someone else, especially someone like Kane Haley. But he had to keep Kane in check, even just a little, or he was going to be in real trouble.

“Maybe so,” he said aloud, with this thought in mind. “But you have to try. You have to give me space in which to make up my own mind, not try to overwhelm me so that I’ll say ’yes’ no matter what. It’s just like with those boys who were fighting earlier - you told them to respect the girl and let HER decide. You can’t have one set of standards for them and another for you.”

His words, spoken in a firm voice, made Kane wilt a little. He rubbed at the back of his head, looking like a little boy. “You’re right,” he said unhappily. “I’ll try harder to behave myself. But it’s not going to be easy. You really are totally sexy, you know.”

“Thank you. I’m glad that you think so,” Benedict told him tartly. “But if you expect those much younger boys to learn some control, you must practice what you preach as well. It’s only fair.”

“You’ve got me there,” Kane said mournfully. “I’ll try harder from now on, I swear.”

“That’s all I can ask.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Clans go hunting, and Kane continues to drive Benedict crazy

Monique appeared by Kane’s side a bit later. “I think it’s time to take these youngsters on a hunt, Kane,” she told her fellow Alpha. “Some of them are getting a bit antsy. Too many pheromones in the air right now. Tracking and killing something will take the edge off for them.”

“You’re right,” he agreed, glancing around. “Tell the other Alphas to begin rounding up their clan members, and we’ll all meet at the gate at the far end of the field. But…” he hesitated, turning to look at Benedict. “Would you come with my clan?” he asked hopefully, “Since I’m courting you? Your brother will be okay with your clan, right, Monique?”

The other Alpha looked amused. “Of course, Kane. I’ll keep an eye on young Theodore. You’re free to go with Kane’s group, Benedict. Have fun,” she added rather slyly to him as she walked away to tell the other Alphas to gather their clan members.

Benedict scowled a little after her. Typical of his Alpha to laugh at him over his situation! She must think this was hilarious. He looked at Kane, seeing that the Alpha was smiling at him. “I’m glad that you’re coming with me, Ben,” he said happily.

“It doesn’t seem that I have much of a choice,” he pointed out in faint exasperation.

“Sure you do. You could stay here if you want to. But I’d really like it if you came with me,” Kane said. “And you can’t tell me that you don’t want to go on a hunt. Bet it’s been awhile since you were on one,” he added shrewdly.

Benedict had to admit that he was right. It had been a long while since he’d known the freedom of a hunt, and running in his wolf form with the wind blowing through his fur. “Very well,” he conceded. “I’ll accompany you, Kane. As long as you behave yourself.”

“You have my word…that I’ll try,” Kane replied with a wicked grin.

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The clans were mingling near the gate out of the field, the Alphas making assure that all of their people were ready to go. Kane was talking to some of his people, and Benedict was waiting patiently for him to be done. But then he saw his brother, and he hurried over to where Theo was standing. He noticed a small girl in a long leather coat standing next to his brother, and wondered who she was. “Theo!” he called.

His brother sneered at him, but it seemed only a half-hearted effort. “Hey, Benny,” he said.

“I won’t be going with you. I’m going with Kane’s group,” Benedict told him.

Theo shrugged. “Whatever,” he said indifferently.

Benedict sighed, but before he could say anything else the girl remarked: “Theo, do you want me to go with you or with my clan?”

Startled, Benedict stared at her as Theo replied: “Do what you want. You will, anyway.”

Benedict was startled to hear his brother sounding almost teasing, rather than angry or petulant as he normally did. The girl grinned, obviously not put out by his rudeness. “That’s true,” she said. “If your Alpha doesn’t object, I’ll run with you. I’ve got to keep an eye on you, right?”

“Yeah,” Theo said, as Benedict stared at him as though expecting him to sprout a second head.

“Okay,” she turned to Benedict. “Hi, I’m Ariadne Mathews,” she said, holding out her hand to him. “I’m Kane’s niece.”

He gaped at her for a moment, before pulling himself together and taking her hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said politely. “I’m Benedict Cavanaugh. I didn’t know Kane had a niece.”

“Well, he does. Tell Uncle Kane that I’m doing what he asked me to, and that I’ll see him later.”

“Very well,” a nonplussed Benedict replied.

“Nice to meet you, Benedict. I hope I’ll be seeing more of you from now on,” she added, smiling at him. “Come on, Theo,” she said over her shoulder, and Benedict noticed that his brother appeared to be fuming over their conversation. If he didn’t know any better, he would have said that his sibling was jealous of Kane’s niece talking to him. Which was absurd, wasn’t it? He watched as the two of them departed to join the Black Cairn Clan, then shook his head as if to clear it. What a very strange day this was turning out to be! 

 

Benedict sat down on his haunches and waited for Kane’s clan to finish their transformations. The Alpha himself was not far away, his wolf form revealed as a huge, powerful-looking creature with a dark-blonde coat and a pair of intense hazel-green eyes. As a man he was very handsome - but as a wolf he was magnificent. Benedict admired him silently. His lust for Kane hadn’t altered in his beast form even the least little bit. It would have been nice to think that it would have disappeared when he’d changed into a wolf, but no such luck. If anything, it was more primal and base in this form. He sighed, wondering dimly how exactly he was supposed to keep fighting against Kane Haley’s insistent attentions.

Not that he had to, not exactly. Even if he slept with the Alpha, giving in to his desire, that didn’t constitute an acceptance of Kane’s assertion that they were supposed to be mates. But Benedict wasn’t stupid enough to think that he could just jump into bed with Kane, have some casual sex with him, and walk away without looking back. He wasn’t the kind of person who could so easily divorce physical attraction from deeper feelings, and if he had sex with the Alpha that would only bring them closer to his accepting Kane as his mate whether he liked it or not.

As though he could hear Benedict’s thoughts, Kane’s head turned. Their eyes met, and the Alpha’s intense stare made the hair rise up in a ridge on his back. Kane looked like he wanted to devour Benedict whole. His mouth opened, and he began to pant rather wildly. Kane’s mouth also opened, but on the wolf equivalent of laughter. His eyes gleamed as he ‘chuckled’ at Benedict, clearly totally aware of his plight. It made him want to tear Kane’s throat out…not that there was any chance of that happening. Kane outweighed him by a good thirty pounds, and muscle rippled under his thick dark-blonde coat. Sure, they might all be basically as strong as one another to start with, but any kind of strenuous work out routine would up a wolf’s strength significantly. And Benedict seldom had time for vigorous work outs, not while he was studying so hard. And of course an Alpha would be in great shape, because they had to fight anyone who challenged them for their position…

He snarled a little, lifting his lips off his teeth to silently tell Kane what he thought of his laughing at Benedict’s expense. The Alpha laid his ears back and ducked his head a little, the Alpha’s equivalent of ’showing throat’. This apologetic gesture might have meant more if he hadn’t already been apologetic more than once today - but that never stopped him from actually doing things to be apologetic for! Benedict sniffed and turned his head away elaborately, conveying his disdain.

A loud bark brought his attention back to Kane. Apparently everyone was in their wolf forms now, and the Alpha was calling them to form a pack for tonight’s hunt. Because he wasn’t of this clan, Benedict hung back and didn’t try to bull his way into the center of the pack. He’d trail after the party a bit, not quite an interloper but not a part of them either.

But Kane had different ideas. Once the clan had formed up into the pack, he loped back to where Benedict was standing and nudged him with his nose. He flattened his ears, but the Alpha wasn’t taking ’no’ for an answer. Kane growled and jerked his head toward the front of the pack, where he would be leading the hunt. Benedict felt exasperation streak through him, but he knew that if he continued to object they’d never get out the gate for the hunt because Kane would stubbornly wait until he changed his mind. He showed his teeth again, knowing it would do no good, but reluctantly walked to the front of the pack. The wolves of Ken’s clan watched him assessingly, but no one objected to his presence beside their Alpha.

If a wolf could look smug, Kane managed. Benedict wanted to bite him. The hazel-green gaze slid his way, and somehow the bastard managed to smirk! Benedict would have lunged for him, but just then Kane yipped and surged forward, telling his folk to follow him to the hunt. Benedict had to run with him, to keep up. The rest of the clan flowed out the gate after them, intent on the night and the things that lived in it.

 

 

For awhile, Benedict forgot his ire in the joy of the hunt. He loved to run through the shadows, his nose bringing him the mingled scents of the night flowering plants and the nocturnal animals that moved through the darkness on all sides of them. He was only vaguely aware of Kane loping along beside him, the big wolf surprisingly graceful for his size. They ran down shallow ravines and over low hills, looking for something larger than field mice and the occasional rabbit to hunt. For awhile it seemed that they wouldn’t flush anything worth their time, but then Benedict’s sharp nose brought him the musky scent of a deer. He came to a halt, his head swinging from side-to-side as he sought the source of that scent. When he finally pinpointed it, he threw back his head and howled the news to the rest of the clan. It never occurred to him that he was acting as though he were a member of the clan, but Kane’s mouth opened in a panting grin as Benedict darted away after the deer and the rest of the pack followed.

The deer, flushed out of a tangle of bushes, wasn’t very big. But size wasn’t important; a hunt was a hunt no matter how big or small the prey. They raced after the terrified animal as it bounded away, their lean, furry forms flowing like water through the night. Their eyes gleamed with the excitement of the chase. They were silent for the most part, streaming around heavy brush and the occasional stunted tree as the deer began to slow a little. Its first rush of fear had given it wings, but now that energy was almost gone. It stumbled, then desperately righted itself and bounded on. But the nearest wolf was almost at its flank, and white teeth snapped at it as it squealed in terror.

One wolf, quicker than the others, surged ahead and hurled itself onto the deer’s back. The animal squalled as it went down under the wolf’s weight, and the rest of the clan fell on it eagerly in a roil. Their teeth bit at the beast, which jerked and fought weakly. But then someone buried their teeth in its jugular, and the animal was done for. With a few last spasmodic kicks, it stopped moving. The wolves lapped eagerly at its blood, although they moved out of the way when Kane approached. The Alpha stepped up to the dead deer and began to tear at its belly, freeing the entrails. He ate a little but then stepped back to give the rest of the clan a chance to feed as well. This wasn’t about filling their bellies; they’d done that earlier at the Gathering. This feeding was more symbolic in nature, and tied them together as a wolf clan.

Benedict was waiting for his chance at the kill, but was startled when all of the other wolves refused to approach the kill. Their eyes turned to him as he stood there uncertainly, wondering what was going on. They all waited, just looking at him; and when his eyes fell on Kane he realized why. They all thought of him as being their Alpha’s mate, and so he was supposed to eat second. There was no way for him to argue this point, not in his wolf form; and they might be here all night if he tried. His brown eyes flashed as he came closer to the carcass, promising Kane retribution for getting his entire clan in on this. Kane just lowered his head a little, but his eyes were sparkling. Benedict snarled to himself but took a bite from the deer before stepping back.

The rest of the clan each took a bite, while Benedict retreated as far as he could and sat down on his haunches. But Kane followed him, plopping down beside him and glancing sideways at him. He laid his ears back again, telling Kane what he thought of the conniving Alpha. But Kane ignored his reprobation, and whined a little as he nudged Benedict with his nose. He snuffled at Benedict’s ruff, then began to lick his muzzle. He snapped at Kane, but this didn’t have any effect either. The Alpha laved him with his tongue, and Benedict’s eyes half-closed in spite of his ire. Damn him! Kane Haley was far too seductive for his peace of mind.

His head turned, and suddenly they were nose-to-nose. He stared deep into Kane’s eyes as they shared the wolf form of an intense kiss. He could feel Kane’s breath on his nose, and the Alpha whined softly. Benedict closed his eyes, pulling his head back at last. Fortunately for him, the clan had finished feeding on the deer. They were waiting for their Alpha, and Kane turned away to silently communicate with them. Benedict felt great relief(mingled with a certain amount of disappointment) as the Alpha got his clan formed up again for the return trip to the farm.  
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Benedict trotted along beside Kane as they headed back to the farm, far too aware of the Alpha’s big form next to his. Now that the hunt was over, his mind had far too much free time to think. And this wasn’t helped by the fact that he could smell Kane’s rich, ripe scent, and it was making him salivate. One part of him just wanted to give in, to offer his haunches to Kane and let the Alpha have him. But the rest of him was determined not to give in at any cost, and those parts kept him moving along in a swift trot with his eyes looking forward, refusing to glance at Kane.  
He felt acute relief when they trotted through the open gate of the field, and he could shift back into his human form. Benedict straightened up and shook himself as little, as the clan began to transform around them. Kane looked around. “A good hunt,” he called to them. “I’m proud of all of you. We’ll wait for the others to get back, then we’ll head back to the hotel for the night.”

There were affirmative murmurs all around him. Kane turned to Benedict. “Would you take a walk with me?” he murmured. “There,” he nodded toward a small cluster of trees to one side of the field.

He felt great reluctance, but finally nodded. After all, he’d agreed to let Kane court him for the next few weeks. He had to actually participate whether he liked it or not. So they moved off together, Kane saying nothing as they approached the tiny grove of trees. Once they were out of eyesight of the clan, the Alpha turned to look at him. “You’re a natural,” he told Benedict.

Perplexed, he asked: “What? What do you mean?”

Kane smiled at him whitely. “You’re a natural leader.” he replied. “In the hunt, you not only caught the scent you led the clan in the chase. And they followed you without a qualm. They already accept you as my mate,” he said happily.

Benedict spoke through gritted teeth. “Would that be because you informed them of the fact that you’re courting me, and urged them to treat me as your mate?”

Kane contrived to look innocent, something he simply couldn’t pull off. “Now why would I do that?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

Benedict sighed. “Because you are a wretched man,” he snapped. “Who doesn’t fight fair.”

Kane cocked his head to the side. “I suppose not,” he mused. “But haven’t you ever heard of the saying ‘all’s fair in love and war?’.”

 

*****

 

“That was so fun!” Ari said happily as she stretched her arms above her head.

Theo glanced at her. He couldn’t forget her wolf form, which had turned out to have a dark-blonde coat that reflected her real hair color under the dye. It had been small and almost dainty-looking, with slightly wavy fur. And she was fast - she’d skimmed along beside him like thistledown as his clan had hunted. Theo had spent far more time watching her out of the corner of his eye than he had hunting. “Was it?” he said aloud, making her shake her head at him.

“Oh, come on, Theo. Even you have to admit that you had a good time. But now…” she yawned elaborately. “Back to the hotel and bed. I’m ready to sleep.”

He shrugged. He was used to staying up most nights and sleeping during the day. She cast him a laughing glance. “Let’s go, Theo. You can ride with my clan and we can talk. I’m going to help you find a girl. To do that, I need to know more about you.” she patted his arm with her small hand.

He frowned uneasily. He wasn’t sure that he wanted her to find a girl for him. But he said nothing. At least if he went along with this, he could spend more time with her. He couldn’t really imagine why a girl like her would want to hang around with a guy like him otherwise. So he followed her obediently toward the front of the house where the vans were parked, listening to her chatter and staying silent himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There. Just for you, ileria :)

Benedict was glad to climb into the van with his own clan, although he was surprised to see that his brother wasn’t in the vehicle as well. When he asked, one of the girls told him that she’d seen Theo climbing into the Tall Hills van along with a pale-faced girl with dyed black hair and a long leather coat. Realizing that Kane’s niece must still be babysitting Theo(it hadn’t taken him long to figure that out, since why else would a girl want to spend time with Theo otherwise?), he relaxed back in his seat and closed his eyes. He was SO ready to climb into bed! It had been a long day for him.

He thought of Kane. The importuning bastard was making him mental. Between Kane’s blandishments and his kisses, he was throwing Benedict for a loop. Three days ago, he’d thought that his life was in order. Neat, tidy, fulfilling…he’d thought that he’d make up with his old boyfriend and that he’d finish university and find some kind of employment. Then, in such a short time, he’d met an Alpha who claimed that he was his mate, and was now in the process of being swept off his feet. He was rational enough to see that Kane was already getting to him, that he was helpless against the handsome wanker’s charm and intelligence and pure sexiness. Two more weeks? It might as well be two more YEARS! He’d never be able to withstand Kane’s determined courting for that long.

He sighed wearily, rubbing at his forehead with his long fingers. He never should have made that deal with Kane, but if he hadn’t the Alpha would have followed him to the ends of the Earth. Besides, while becoming Kane’s mate would bring great changes to his life, they wouldn’t per se be BAD changes. Just different. Being responsible for the welfare of an entire clan would be a big job, but he’d only be Kane’s helpmeet. Everyone in the Tall Hills Clan would always look to their Alpha first, and then to his mate after that. Also, living here in San Francisco wouldn’t be onerous - it was a beautiful city. And with much better weather than England! He was sure that Kane wouldn’t mind taking him back home to visit his family occasionally, so that he wouldn’t feel homesick.

Benedict realized that he’d accepted the inevitable, but had also decided not to tell Kane about it. Let the Alpha continue to court him thinking that he might not be able to talk Benedict into accepting him. It would be good for the bastard to be uncertain for a bit. He didn’t think that he could handle the smugness that Kane was sure to exude if he got his way so quickly. If he gave in too easily, Kane would think that he could walk all over Benedict. And that was NOT going to happen!

Having made up his mind, Benedict felt the tension inside of him subside. He decided to relax and enjoy his courting, while leading Kane a wild dance the whole time. It looked like he was going to have a much better time at this Gathering than he ever would have imagined…

 

He emerged from the van to find Kane waiting for him, the Alpha’s lips lifting in a smile at the sight of him. That smile did funny things to his stomach, but he didn’t let this show on his face. “Did you want something, Kane?” he asked politely. “Because I’m not in the mood. I’m tired; I wish to go to bed.”

Kane shrugged. “I thought I’d escort you to your door and say goodnight,” he replied.

“Ah. Well then, come on,” Benedict walked away, and Kane fell into step beside him.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Kane asked him after a moment’s silence.

“Actually, I rather did,” Benedict replied. When Kane beamed at him, he added dryly: “Except for having to endure your company, of course.”

Kane winced. “That wasn’t very nice,” he chided. ’You like me, you know you do.”

Benedict sighed in an exaggerated manner. “I suppose that in some ways I do,” he conceded, not wanting to be too mean to Kane. He wanted to lead the Alpha on a dance, he didn’t want to hurt Kane’s feelings. That wouldn’t be a very nice thing to do to your future mate.

Kane brightened up again at his words. “See, I knew it,” he said in satisfaction, making Benedict roll his eyes.

They entered the hotel and approached the bank of elevators. Benedict eyed Kane warily, but the Alpha behaved himself entirely for the ride up to his hotel room. Benedict wasn’t quite sure whether this fact made him happy or not. Remembering the kisses from this morning, he couldn’t help but shiver a bit. They emerged onto his floor, and he led the way to his door. “Goodnight, Kane,” he said politely as he swiped the lock with his key card.

The Alpha stepped in close, and his breath left his body in a rush. Kane leaned forward a little and very lightly kissed him on the mouth, a lingering thing that he seemed to feel right down to his very bones.

“Goodnight, Ben. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, then he turned and walked away. Benedict just stood in the hallway for a moment and watched his broad back retreated, before he sighed and entered his hotel room. He was really looking forward to getting a good night’s sleep. He felt unutterably weary after this very long day.  
  
*****  
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Ari was bouncing on his bed. Theo sat in the only chair n the room and eyed her. She grinned at him, cocking her head. “Well, puppy, I should let you get to bed,” she remarked.

“Nah. I’m used to staying up all night,” he replied.

She laughed. “Well, I’m not. Except for when I have to pull an all-nighter when I’m studying for an exam, that is.”

“You go to uni?” he asked.

“Uni? Oh, college. Yes, I do. Although I was happy to get two weeks off for this thing. It’s a nice break. What about you, Theo? Do you go to college?”

“Fuck no,” he replied flatly. “Uni is for people like my brother.”

“Ah, I see. What do you do, then? Do you have a job?” Ari asked curiously as she folded her legs up under her in a lotus position.

He felt a streak of uneasy shame race through him. “No,” he said shortly, looking away.

“That’s okay. It’s not bad to be unemployed, especially in this economy,” Ari remarked soothingly.

He glanced back at her. “You’re the only one who’s ever said that to me,” he told her stiffly. “My Dad thinks that I’m a shiftless loser.”

Her brows shot up. “He TOLD you that?!” she exclaimed in horror.

He lifted his shoulders defensively. “No, but he doesn’t have to. I can see it in his eyes. He thinks that Benny shits gold bricks, and that I’m worthless.”

She came up off the bed and darted over to him. To his astonishment, she caught his hands up in her own and looked down into his eyes. “I think that you’re wrong, Theo,” she told him. “I think it’s the dominant/submissive thing again. Because he doesn’t pay much attention to you, you assume that your father thinks that you’re worthless. Bu you’re his cub. I highly doubt that he really thinks that about you, especially if he’s never actually said it to you. One thing you can say for we wolves - we’re pretty much open and honest about things. If your father’s never told you that he thinks that you’re worthless, then he doesn’t! maybe you just think that about yourself because you could never get your family’s attention. But just because they don’t pay attention to you doesn’t make you worthless. Not at all.” she squeezed his hands, making his breathing become erratic. “I believe in you, Theo.” she went on gravely, making his stomach muscles clench painfully. “I really do. I think that you can show your family and all of the clans just what kind of person you really are. You just have to try. Are you willing to try?”

He looked up into her eyes, and found himself nodding. She smiled, and he felt lost. “That’s great. Now, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll talk some more. All right?”  
He nodded again, and then to his shock she swooped down and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodnight, Theo. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” she winked at him and departed, leaving a thoroughly befuddled and bemused Theodore Cavanaugh behind her.  
  
  
****

 

Benedict slept well and deeply, if you ignored the erotic dreams about a certain unbelievably sexy Alpha. Which was impossible, of course…just as it was impossible to ignore Kane in real life. He dragged himself out of bed late, and went to take a long, hot shower. He was debating having room service deliver breakfast when there was a knock on his door. Straightening the collar of his shirt, he walked over to open it. He was surprised to see Kane standing there, looking as handsome and sexy as ever. The Alpha smiled at him in greeting. “Morning, Ben,” he said cheerfully, “Thought I’d come and collect you. We could go grab some breakfast, then I’ll take you on a guided tour of the sights of San Francisco. I’m better than a professional tour guide, I swear.”

“I see. I suppose we could do that,” Benedict said, pretending to reluctance.

Kane chuckled. “I’m glad to see that you’re feeling enthusiastic about my plans for us,” he teased as Benedict stepped out into the hallway.

“I believe that I signed on to be courted for the next fortnight; I DON’T believe that I signed on to be enthusiastic about the whole affair,” Benedict replied tartly.

Kane grinned, not put out at all. “I’ll just have to find a way to make you enthusiastic,” he said with a wink.

Benedict felt uneasy about this statement. He was afraid of what the Alpha would do to build up his ’enthusiasm’. But he had no choice but to go along with it, come what may… 

 

******

 

Theo was moodily eating breakfast when someone plonked down on the bench across from him. He looked up with a scowl, expecting to see his brother come to nag at him again. But his expression changed almost instantly when he saw Ariadne sitting across from him instead, leaning her elbows on the tabletop and smiling in greeting at him. “Good morning, Theo!” she called cheerfully.

He eyed her askance. “Are you always this chipper in the morning?” he asked her in a rather disgruntled tone of voice.

She grinned. “Yep! I love mornings. Don’t you?”

“No,” he grumped, resuming eating his food.

She laughed at him merrily. “Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed. That’s okay. I’ll be good and wait until the coffee kicks in to annoy you,” she leaned back on the bench and lifted a hand to get the attention of the waitress. “After we eat breakfast, I thought we might go do something together. I still want to grill you on what kind of girls you like.”

He scowled but said nothing, shoving scrambled eggs into his mouth. Not that he didn’t want to spend more time with her, but the knowledge that she was only interested in hanging out with him so that she could set him up with another girl made him mad. He might have protested, except for the fact that he was firmly convinced that a girl like Ariadne wouldn’t want to spend time with a guy like him unless she had a good reason. Like acting like a matchmaker for him, or babysitting him for her uncle. He couldn’t expect anything else. Story of his life, really.  


******

  
  
“God, the view here is amazing,” Benedict exclaimed, staring out over the waters of the Bay. He and Kane were standing on the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge, in the middle of their tour of the sites of San Francisco.

Kane leaned on the railing, folding his arms. “Isn’t it? I like to come here just to watch the sunset or smell the ocean breeze,” he sniffed appreciatively. He glanced sideways at Benedict’s profile. “But now I think that the view here is even more amazing,” he added.

Benedict eyed him warily. Kane’s compliments usually seemed to be followed by sexual advances of some kind. Not that he was entirely against said advances, but since he was pretending that he was immune to Kane’s charm and insistent wooing of him, he had to continue to behave as he had all of yesterday when he was with the Alpha. “While I’m touched by your flattery, Kane…” he began.

The Alpha snorted. “Who said it was flattery? I’m just speaking the unvarnished, God’s honest truth,” he turned toward Benedict, smiling slightly. “You are amazingly cute, and sexy as all get out,” he went on. “I could look at you forever.”

Benedict felt the muscles in his stomach contract sharply. Wretched Alpha was so very, very dangerous! Especially to his equilibrium. “Well, I could say the same of you, but I don’t think that I will. That would encourage you far too much,” he said dryly.

Kane laughed. “As though I need any encouragement,” he replied, straightening up and stepping toward Benedict. “I want you whether you’re encouraging me to or not.” his nostrils flared, and his hot eyes scanned Benedict’s body in a way that made him feel over warm and rather weak at the knees. Arriving back at Benedict’s eyes, his lips spread in a sultry smile. “You could attack me and I wouldn’t fight back,” he purred, stepping closer and closer. “I’d just try to kiss you instead. All I want to do is kiss you. Well, and touch you, taste you, make love to you all night long…”

Oh, God, his brain was self-destructing! Benedict could only stand there helplessly as Kane’s long arms shot out, and those big hands caught him up and reeled him in. “Ben,” he husked, and the sound of his name finished Benedict off altogether. He didn’t resist in the least when Kane pulled him close and claimed his mouth in a long, devastating kiss.

Somehow his arms wound up around Kane’s neck, and he clung to the Alpha as Kane rocked his world. A thick tongue had slid into his mouth and was roving everywhere, and one big hand was cradling the back of his neck to hold his head in place. Benedict was only vaguely aware that he was moaning helplessly, his body pressed to Kane’s. it didn’t matter to him that they were pretty much out in the open here, and that anyone driving by on the bridge could see two men making out and trying to eat each other’s tongues. The wolf inside of him was in heat, urging him to give up and give in completely. To let Kane mount him and have his way with him for however long that he wanted to. This is your mate, the wolf pointed out. This is where you belong, in his arms.

Kane finally pulled back enough so that they could both breathe. He leaned his forehead against Benedict’s as they panted for breath. “Jesus, this courting is going to be hard,” he husked. “I could…do you right here and now, on this bridge for everybody to see. And I want to, so bad.”

Benedict shuddered, imagining that very scenario in his head. Kane stripping him naked and leaning him half-over the railing, taking him from behind while people watched from their cars…Good Lord, imagine the accidents they’d cause! He pulled away reluctantly with that thought, trying to straighten his clothes and smooth his hair. “I know that you have no control over your base urges, Kane,” he said as sardonically as he could, “But I’d really prefer not to have half of San Francisco watching us if I ever let you shag me.”

Kane looked keenly interested, cocking his head to the side like a curious dog. “Shag? Is that what they call it over in England? Cool. I think I like it. Mark my words, Ben, one day soon you’ll let me ’shag’ you,” he murmured, his eyes going lidded and full of a gleaming light that tied his stomach into knots.

“Perhaps,” he conceded, “But that’s still not the same as me agreeing to be your mate, now is it, Kane?” he drawled.

The Alpha winced. “You’re mean, Ben,” he said, pretending to pout. “You should be nicer to me.”

Benedict shrugged. “Well, we can’t always get what we want. For example, I just wanted to get through this Gathering and go home to finish school without running into any problems. So much for that.” he sighed in a long-suffering sort of way. “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to get back together with Danny before coming over here. I’ll just have to wait for a fortnight now.”

Kane straightened up, towering over him with a thunderous frown on his face. “Who’s Danny?” he rasped, his brows drawing down.

Benedict forced himself not to cringe at this display of power and anger. “Danny is - was my boyfriend. And he will be again, if I have anything to say about it,” he lifted his chin, refusing to back down.

Kane let loose an explosive oath. He strode forward and grabbed Benedict by his arms, his grip almost hard enough to bruise. His lips were drawing back from his teeth. “You belong to me,” he hissed, his eyes roiling with rage.

Okay, he’d pushed Kane too far. He should have known better. Benedict took a deep breath, refusing to show any fear. That would only drive Kane deeper into anger, and that wouldn’t be good for either him OR the Alpha. If Kane ended up hurting him, he’d be horrified and ashamed of himself later on when he returned to sanity. “I’m sorry, Kane,” he said evenly. “I shouldn’t have said anything about Danny. Not when you’re courting me. I don’t belong to you quite yet,” he added quietly, “But you deserve more courtesy than that from me,” he never looked away from Kane’s gaze, and the Alpha’s eyes slowly lost their too-bright light as the rage faded away.

Kane stepped back, releasing him. “I’m sorry too,” he said rather hoarsely. “I shouldn’t have grabbed you,” he ran a hand through his hair in an agitated way.

“No, it’s fine. I know better than to push an Alpha,” Benedict told him. “It’s not good to enrage one, especially not when he or she is courting. I know that. It’s entirely my fault.”

Kane shook his head. “You’re so reasonable,” he remarked. “Of course, I like that about you. I like everything about you, actually.”

Benedict let his breath go in a long exhalation. “So you’ve said,” He replied.

Kane nodded. “And I’ll keep on saying it until you believe me,” he told Benedict.

He found his lips lifting slightly in spite of himself. “I’m sure you will,” he remarked. “You’re nothing if not stubborn.”

Kane nodded. “One of my better qualities, actually,” he said in satisfaction. “Should we continue the tour? How about some lunch? We could go down to the Wharf for lobster.”

“That sounds great,” Benedict said. “I’d like that.”

Kane looked happy. “Let’s go,” he said, leading the way to his car.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> both wolf couples get their happily ever afters...

Theo had pulled his knees up and had folded his arms atop them. Ari was sitting next to him on the pier, dangling her legs off the end. Seagulls were wheeling overhead, making harsh noises as they fought over a dead fish that had floated to the top of the water. “So tell me what you like in a girl,” Ari said, lifting her face to the breeze. It played with her hair, and he found himself staring at her profile. “Let’s start with the physical. What’s your type, looks-wise?”

He cleared his throat, not wanting to answer but unable to stop himself. “Blondes. I like blondes,” he said, thinking of her wolf form from last night.

“Ah, that’s specific. What else? Do you have a preference in eye color? Or height? What about boobs? Big or small?”

“Erm…I don’t care what color her eyes are,” he said, because he couldn’t very well say hazel-green lest she figure out that he was talking about someone specific. “But I don’t like tall girls. I’m not that tall myself. I don’t want to have to look up to her.”

She chuckled. “I can understand that. So what size breasts do you like?”

His eyes were riveted on her chest, on the small swellings that he could see under the cotton of the t-shirt she was wearing. “Small is good,” he remarked hoarsely, watching her breath lift those swellings rhythmically.

“Not a breast guy, huh? So what do you like? Legs, ass?”

He surprised both her and himself by replying: “Hands.”

She blinked and turned her head to glance at him. “Hands?” she repeated.

He nodded. “Mum’s a pianist,” he said. “And maybe it’s weird that I find girls with hands like hers attractive, but I do. Her hands were so graceful when she would play. It was really pretty,” he looked down, feeling embarrassed to admit such a thing to her.

She patted his arm, making him jump. “Why, Theo, I think that’s sweet,” she said to him. “I don’t think it’s weird at all. As long as you don’t lust after you own mom, that is…”

He shook his head vigorously. She grinned at him. “That’s fine, then. I’ll just have to look for a girl with pretty hands for you.”

He glanced down at the hand on his sleeve, the small appendage with the long, slender fingers. “Yeah,” he said glumly, “Sure.”

 

*****

 

Benedict was enjoying the taste of the lobster he was eating. It practically melted in his mouth, and the subtle flavors mingled with the butter to make his taste buds tingle. He made a low sound of appreciation, and heard a chuckle from across the table. He looked up into Kane’s amused eyes, and deliberately licked at his lips. The hazel eyes instantly darkened with a ravening hunger that made his gut twist and his cock twitch in his trousers. Another kind of hunger rose up in him, and he gulped heavily as their eyes continued to meet over the tabletop.  
This teasing Kane had been a bad idea, Benedict thought to himself rather wildly. Because not only was he playing with fire, he was also teasing himself as well. And he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to hold out before he submitted to the Alpha’s desires and became Kane’s mate. Worse - he wasn’t very good at teasing the Alpha anyway. He remembered Kane’s anger earlier on the bridge because he’d poked Kane about Danny. That had been cruel of him to do, he knew that…if he couldn’t tease Kane properly, and had to resort to being mean for no reason…then he shouldn’t even be attempting to push Kane’s buttons. He sighed softly, acknowledging defeat. Not at Kane’s hands, but at his own…

“Are you all right, Ben?” he heard Kane ask in concern.

He realized that he’d dropped his eyes to the tabletop while he’d been thinking. He lifted them again to see Kane staring at him, and the Alpha’s face was worried. He cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m fine. But I have something to tell you, Kane,” he began.

His tone of voice made the Alpha look even more anxious. “What is it?” his voice was tight, as though he expected some terrible news and were bracing himself for the blow.

Benedict spread his hands out in front of him on the table. “I came to a decision about whether or not I wish to be your mate,” he said, and saw Kane’s face freeze up into an expressionless mask. Clearly the Alpha thought that he was going to be rejected. His pain made Benedict’s heart hurt, and he hurried to speak again. “Last night, I came to the realization that there was no way that I could hold out against you,” he said quickly.

Kane’s brows shot up. He looked more hopeful now, as Benedict went on in resignation: “You are far too charming for your own good, Kane. Or for mine, either. And I do…desire you,” he went on in a low voice, making Kane draw in a hissing breath.

“I said what I did about Danny on the Bridge earlier because I wanted to keep you at arm’s length for a little while longer,” he went on manfully, seeing Kane’s lip twitch a little to bare one fang-like incisor, even as his nostrils flared slightly. He didn’t like being reminded about Benedict’s former boyfriend - not that he could blame Kane for that. “But I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry, Kane. It was wrong of me to throw Danny in your face when you’re courting me. Worse, I don’t intend to get back together with Danny anyway, not now,” he sighed looking into the Alpha’s watchful, wary eyes, “I couldn’t. I thought to tease you a little, to keep you on tenterhooks for the next few weeks to get back at you for being so overbearing and pushy. But apparently I’m not very good at it,” he said with a grimace. “And I don’t want to hurt you, Kane. You don’t deserve that. So I’m going to be entirely truthful here - I expect you to continue to court me for the next few weeks while the Gathering is going on, but at the end of that time - I’ll accept you as my mate,” he finished quietly.

Kane’s eyes filled up with as wild light that made his abdomen and groin tighten treacherously. “Ben,” he purred, leaning forward. “You couldn’t have said anything else that would make me more happy.” he reached out and seized Benedict’s hands in his own, his thumbs caressing over his palms in a manner designed to make him feel breathless. He lifted one of them to his mouth and kissed the inside of Benedict’s wrist, forcing a gasp from his lips. Kane’s eyes gleamed, and he licked at the fragile skin tenderly. Benedict shuddered, his whole body aflame.

“I’m not surprised,” the Alpha went on throatily, meeting his eyes, “That you weren’t able to tease me properly, Ben. That’s not the kind of thing that a person like you would be good at. You’re too serious and intense. Now me,” he grinned wickedly, “I’m an expert on teasing,” he kissed one of Benedict’s fingertips as though for emphasis.

“I’ve noticed that,” he husked breathily.

Kane chuckled. “That’s why we’re such a good pair,” he explained, nuzzling his nose over the skin of Benedict’s wrist. “We’re opposites in many ways. But that’s why opposites attract, right? Because they complement each other. They fit together like yin and yang, totally different but still coming together into a harmonious whole. I can’t wait…” he added, his eyes full of that darkness again that made Benedict want to pant and get down on all fours to lift the tail he didn’t have in his human form, “To come together as a harmonious whole with you, Ben,” and he bit very delicately at one of his knuckles, not hard enough to break skin but just hard enough for Benedict to feel the sting.

He groaned in the back of his throat. “You are…an impossible man, Kane,” Benedict managed to say.

Kane smiled. “I know,” he said evilly. “That’s why you should get a medal for agreeing to be my mate, Ben. But I hope…” he licked lightly at one fragile wrist bone, “That you’ll…” he snuffled at Benedict’s palm, his eyes never dropping, “Find that the rewards are worth the work,” he added, finally licking at the pulse point beating wildly under the skin of Benedict’s wrist.

He took in as deep a breath as he could. His voice was hoarse as he replied: “I’m sure that I will.”

 

******

 

Theodore had had enough. He stood with his arms stubbornly crossed over his chest, glowering at the tiny woman standing beside him. Ari had urged him to come to the hotel’s lounge so that they could look over the eligible females from the various clans who were gathered there, talking and laughing and drinking. He felt a growl rise up in the back of his throat, a sound of frustration and fury. He didn’t want her to ‘set him up’ with anyone else! He was not an object to be given away to the first likely-looking girl. He might be a submissive, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t have a say in his own life and future. He’d never been able to convey his feelings to his family, but with Ari he’d always felt that he could tell her anything. SHE’D never looked down on him or treated him like her were a misbehaving child. Which made her cluelessness about his feelings in this instance even harder to take.

“What do you think of her, Theo?” he heard Ari whisper, even as she nudged his elbow with her own. She nodded toward a pretty blonde sitting at a table not far away, chatting with her girlfriends.

He glowered at the blonde in question. “She’s fat,” he snarled sulkily.

She knocked her elbow sharply into his side, making him grunt. “She is not! Theo, that’s not nice!” she chided him, making him feel like a guilty little boy.

He growled in the back of his throat. “I don’t want to do this anymore,” he said, and stalked away out of the lounge without looking back.

“Theo!” he heard her call, and while he wanted to keep walking away, he found himself unable to. He stopped and turned toward her, his face set in a petulant expression.

Ari stopped and looked up into his face, her eyes concerned. “What’s the matter, Theo?” she asked him softly. “Why are you so angry?”

He was startled that she’d realized that he was angry, not sulky. His hands fisted at his sides. “I can’t…” he began, his mouth tightening. “I don’t want to find a girl at the Gathering,” he said, looking away.

She touched his arm, making him jump a little. “If that’s how you really feel, I won’t make you look for a mate, Theo,” Ari said gently. “I just thought you might be happier if you had someone who understood you.”

‘I already do,’ he thought, looking down at her helplessly. But he couldn’t say the words; they got stuck in his throat. What would a girl like her see in a bloke like him? She deserved someone better than him; he knew that. So all he said aloud was: “I’m fine as I am.”

Her eyes studied his face intently, and once again he felt as though she could see into his very soul. “If that’s how you really feel, then we won’t look for any more girls for you,” Ari said decidedly.

He nodded. “That’s how I feel,” he said, tamping down his misery deep inside of himself so that none of it showed in his face or voice.

She nodded. “Okay. We could just hang out together for the rest of the Gathering. What do you say, Theo?”

While he was unutterably glad that she still wanted to be with him even though she wasn’t going to be playing matchmaker for him anymore, he was also not looking forward to the next fortnight of having to be with her and pretending that he only wished to be her friend. “I’d like that,” he replied aloud, not letting any of his inner turmoil show.

She smiled, and the sight of it nearly brought him to his knees. For that smile, he would have crawled across a mile of broken glass and then let people smear salt into his open wounds. He wanted to whimper as Ari commented: “Let’s go. I’ll show you all of my favorite places in the city. Come on, Theo,” she grabbed his arm and tugged at his sleeve, and he allowed himself to be drawn out of the hotel without any sort of protest.  
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A bit later, he sat across from her at a small table at her favorite coffee shop. It was a Bohemian place, and from the number of people who’d greeted her Ari was well known there. Theodore had had to force himself not to snarl at the males who came up to Ari and said hello, some of them even touching her! One had even hugged her enthusiastically, and he might have gone for the bastard if he hadn’t realized that the male in question was a homosexual. He was actually glad that they were surrounded by people here, though. Otherwise Ari might have been able to smell his anger and jealousy. As it was, with so many smells mingling in the air, it would be impossible for even her sharp nose to pick out his emotions from the crowd’s.

“What’s your pleasure, Theo?” Ari asked him. When he just stared at her, a startled look in his face, she grinned. “Do you want a cappuccino, a latte, a regular coffee? What?”

“Oh,” he felt like a right idiot. “A regular black coffee. I don’t like the fancy stuff.”

She giggled, making his stomach and chest tighten. “Why am I not surprised?” she said merrily. “I’ll be right back.”

He watched her walk away to get their order, his eyes wistful. This was SO par for the course where his miserable life was concerned! He’d finally found a girl who understood him, and she turned out to be both too good for him and quite oblivious to his feelings for her. The Gods just liked to kick Theodore Cavanaugh around for their own amusement. He should be used to it by now, but he just wasn’t.

 

*****

 

Benedict walked beside Kane into the lobby of the hotel. They’d spent the afternoon on the tour of the city, and he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself. The Alpha was very good company, intelligent and funny and energetic. He was pleased that he could actually have a decent conversation with the man whose mate he’d most likely end up being, since sexual attraction and compatibility were simply not enough for any kind of real relationship. Now he was laughing at something that Kane had said, shaking his head as the Alpha grinned whitely at him.

But he stopped laughing when he spotted his brother slumped in a chair across the lobby, his head bowed and his whole body language screaming misery and depression. Benedict felt a spurt of concern run through him. “Kane,” he said, reaching out to touch the Alpha’s sleeve.

“Yeah, Ben?”

“Could we meet later at the Gathering tonight? I really have to speak to my brother about something,” Benedict said, looking into his eyes.

Kane studied his face, then nodded. “Of course. I’ll see you later,” he lightly bussed Benedict on the mouth, then smiled and strolled away.

Benedict felt relief that Kane understood him so well already. He turned and walked over to where Theo was sitting, waiting until he was standing right next to the chair before speaking softly. “Theo?”

Theo looked up, his eyes haunted and full of misery. “What do you want, Benny?” he asked, his usual malice half-hearted and desultory.

“I want to talk to you,” Benedict told him. “Why don’t you come up to my room with me?”

Theo’s lip curled into a familiar sneer, but again this seemed more a habit than anything else. “Why would I want to talk to you, Benny?” he rasped in disdain.

“Because it looks like you need SOMEONE to talk to; and since I’m the only one around you’ll just have to put up with me,” Benedict replied calmly.

Theo scowled at him, but then shrugged and looked away. “Whatever,” he said indifferently.

“Come up to my room,” Benedict repeated, and after a moment his brother rose to his feet and went with him toward the lifts. Neither said anything to each other and they entered a lift and rode it to the right floor, and they were still silent as Benedict keyed open the door of his room and they walked inside. He finally spoke when he’d closed the door behind them, looking at his brother. “Tell me what’s wrong, Theo,” he said simply.

Theo turned toward the balcony, giving his back to Benedict. He said nothing for a moment, then he said: “Nothing’s wrong, Benny. There’s never anything wrong, is there?”

Benedict sighed at his brother’s usual obstructionism. “Theo,” he began, but his brother whirled around before he could get any further.

“Do you want to hear something, Benny?” he demanded.

“What?” he asked warily, still watching Theo’s face carefully.

“I know now why I spend all of my time being a prat around you and Dad,” Theo went on, surprising him so much that he only blinked instead of replying right away.

“Err…you do?” he said tentatively after a moment.

Theo nodded jerkily. “Ari told me that it’s because you’re both pretty dominant, and because I’m a submissive you never paid much attention to me when I was a kid,” he began. “So later on, I acted out to MAKE you both pay attention to me, because I figured that any attention was better than none at all. And I was jealous because Dad always gave you more attention than he did me, because you were dominant enough to demand it when I wasn’t. She said that most dominants, unless they’re Alphas, don’t know how to treat a submissive like me. That you didn’t mean to ignore me, really…”

Benedict stared at his sibling as though Theo had grown a second head. Ignore him? Surely they hadn’t…but, unfortunately for him, his brain did not conveniently forget things that he didn’t like to think about. As a cub, Theo had always trailed around after him. He could remember with a jolt being unkind to his brother often, to try to dislodge that persistent tick. Theo had taken all of his often ugly words with bowed head and lifted shoulders, silently refusing to fight back. It had made him angry quite often, actually. Had made him want to hit out at his brother, to MAKE him fight back. But of course, that was what a fellow dominant would have done. If Theo was a submissive, he would not aggressively push himself into someone’s face no matter what. And he didn’t even do that now, choosing a more passive-aggressive form of acting out to snarling and picking fights.

“I see,” he began slowly. “And Kane’s niece told you this?” Theo nodded. “Did it make sense to you, Theo?”

“Yeah,” he replied softly. “All I wanted…was for you to pay attention to me, Benny. You’re my big brother, and I…love you.”

He felt a lump rising in his throat. “I’m so sorry, Theo,” he husked. “That I never saw. Truly sorry. Neither Dad nor I ever intended to shut you out…”

Theo lifted a hand to wipe surreptitiously at his eyes. “I know that,” he husked. “But that’s what made it hurt even more. Especially since I didn’t get why I acted the way I did, why I couldn’t be more like you and Dad…”

“Of course you couldn’t,” Benedict said. “A submissive can’t be like a dominant. Not really. Nor should they be required to act like one. There is a place in every clan for submissives, just as there is a place for dominants. You’re just as necessary a part as I am, Theo. And from now on, I promise that I’ll try to treat you better. That I won’t expect you to act like a dominant. Although you’ll understand if I DO expect you to act like an adult?” he said half-teasingly.

Theo stared at him, then abruptly laughed. “Yeah, I get it,” he replied.

Benedict shook his head ruefully. “Strange that it took a person outside of our family to see this,” he remarked.

“Forest for the trees and all,” Theo said with a shrug. “Besides, Ari told me that it’s mostly Alphas who can spot a submissive and know how to treat one properly. And she’s a budding Alpha,” he explained.

Something in his voice made Benedict stare at him. “Theo? About this Ari…do you…fancy her?” he asked.

Theo’s shoulders stiffened. “That’s none of your business, Benny,” he snapped.

“I know it isn’t, but…the way you talk about her, I just got a feeling,” Benedict began.

Theo’s lips tightened. “It doesn’t matter,” he said wearily.

“Why not?”

“Because a girl like her won’t ever fancy a bloke like me,” Theo replied. “And why should she? She can do much better.”

The pain in his voice made Benedict’s gut tighten. “Theo, I don’t believe that’s true,” he said gently. “I mean, you can be a real pain-in-the-arse, I’ll admit - but you had good reason to be, at least toward me and Dad. And yes, your technique with girls leaves something to be desired…”

Theo barked a harsh laugh. “That’s an understatement,” he remarked. “Don’t try to make me feel better, Benny, it won’t work. Ari’s already tried to set me up with a bunch of other girls from the clans. She’s not interested in me, she just wants to play matchmaker for me.”

“Oh, I see,” Benedict said. “Still, what would it hurt for you to tell her how you feel? The worst that could happen is she let’s you down gently. And would you be any worse off than you are now? At least you’d know whether she could be interested in you or not. I think that I’d rather know, personally. But it’s up to you. I know it’s harder for you as a submissive, Theo, but you could do it if you really want to. It’s up to you.”

Theo bowed his head a little in thought, hugging himself with his arms. “A part of me doesn’t want to know,” he whispered. “Because if she says that she just ’wants to be friends’, it’ll hurt like hell. Better to avoid that, yeah? But my wolf says different. He wants me to show her my belly. I dunno, Benny. She’s the only girl who’s ever understood me. Who took the time to really see me for me. Maybe just being friends with her would be good. Because I’d get to see her whenever we came over to see you, right? When you become that Alpha’s mate? Maybe that’d be enough.”

Benedict sighed. “Would it? Would it really, Theo? Could you stand just seeing her twice a year, and watching her go to someone else? To mate and have cubs with another wolf? Are you telling me that you could stand by and watch that happen? Because I don’t believe that.”

Theo’s lips had lifted off his teeth at Benedict’s words, and anger flashed in his eyes. Benedict nodded. “See? Even thinking about it makes you angry. You have to talk to her, Theo. Tonight at the Gathering. Tell her how you feel. Find out how she feels about YOU. I know that you’re a submissive, but that isn’t an excuse for you not to do anything now. This is important, Theo. Your whole future depends on this. It wasn’t easy for me to accept Kane as my future mate, but something tells me that it’s the best decision that I’ve ever made.” he said soberly.

Theo snorted. “Are you trying to tell me to keep this all in the family, Benny?” he asked with only a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

Benedict found himself chuckling. “I suppose that I am,” he agreed. “How very odd. But perhaps it’s not so very strange after all. The Alphas in Kane’s family are pretty much irresistible,” he remarked dryly.

Theo laughed too. “Yeah, they definitely are,” he agreed. “You’re right, Benny, as usual. I’ll talk to her tonight,” he said, nervously rubbing his hand over the side of his face. “Although I’ll probably regret it.”

“I think that you’d regret it even more if you didn’t, though,” Benedict told him.

“Truth. So you’re going to be that wanker’s mate after all?” Theo asked him.

He nodded in resignation. “I can’t help myself,” he said in self-deprecation. “Kane is too persistent and attractive. I’m sure that I’ll fall for him pretty soon, if I haven’t already. I accept the inevitable.”

Theo shook his head. “My brother being run in circles by somebody? Never thought I’d live to see the day,” he remarked ironically. “Still, maybe that’s why he’s the best mate for you, Benny. He won’t let you be too serious or pompous. This should be fun to watch.”

Benedict made a face at him. “Taking pleasure in your brother’s downfall is not nice, Theo,” he chided.

Theo chuckled. “And who ever said that I was nice, Benny?” he pointed out equitably.

 

*****

 

Benedict glanced over at the van disgorging his brother. He’d ridden with Kane to the second night of the Gathering, which was nice. Riding in Kane’s big, comfortable Mercedes rather than being crowded in with the other members of his clan in that van…he wasn’t going to complain. He saw that Theodore was looking around, and hoped that was a sign that his brother meant to stick to his guns and talk to Ari tonight about how he felt about her. He crossed his fingers symbolically as Kane appeared by his side and put his arm around Benedict’s waist. “What are you doing?” the Alpha asked him curiously.

“Oh, nothing,” he replied hurriedly. He didn’t want Kane to know what was going on yet; the Alpha didn’t like his brother, and might not approve of him as a future mate for his niece.

Kane cocked his head. “Should I think that you’re up to something?” he asked, which made Benedict wince and wish that Kane wasn’t so sharp-eyed.

“Yes, I’m colluding with my brother to get Theo set up with a woman,” Benedict said dryly.

Kane laughed. “Sure you are,” he said sardonically. “So what are you really up to?”

Benedict blew out a relieved breath at having diverted Kane’s attention by telling the truth. “Nothing really. I was just making sure that Theo is behaving himself.”

“Ah. Come on, then; let’s get the party started,” Kane remarked, guiding him away. Benedict relaxed and went willingly, glad that the Alpha hadn’t seen through him this time. He had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn’t often be able to pull the wool over Kane’s eyes. Not that he’d really want to, most of the time…  
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Theo stood looking around, trying to see if he could spot Ari in the crowd of wolves streaming into the field. There were even more people here tonight, because several other clans had arrived during the day. Frustrated, he was just going to give up and try later, when a hand touched his arm. He almost jumped out of his skin, whirling around to see Ari standing behind him. “Hey, Theo,” she said with a smile.

“Hey. I’ve been looking for you,” he said.

She grinned. “It was way easier for me to find you,” she pointed out, “since you’re taller than I am.”

“Yeah,” he agreed nervously. “Umm…Ari? Could we…talk?”

She tilted her head. “About what?” she asked.

He glanced around rather wildly at all of the people surrounding them. Seeing his gesture, Ari said: “I can see that it’s something that you don’t want an audience for, so let’s go,” she took a hold of his sleeve and guided him out of the crowd of people moving past them into the field, and over to a spot at the end of the row of parked vans where there was nobody around. She turned to look at him curiously. “So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Theo?” she asked him.

He gulped. His hands felt sweaty and his heart was racing. He just wasn’t up to this! He wasn’t a confident dominant like his brother Benedict. He wanted to run away with his figurative tail between his legs, but he couldn’t seem to move, either. Ari just stood there and waited patiently for him to speak. Under that direct gaze, he finally had to blurt something out. “I…I didn’t want you to set me up with any girls because…because…I didn’t fancy any of them.” he began, practically stuttering.

Ari’s brows lifted a little. “Yes, I figured that out,” she said. “Is that all that you wanted to tell me, Theo? Or is there more?”

“There’s more,” he said miserably, hunching his shoulders. He was so scared that he wanted to start shaking.

“What is it? Tell me,” her voice was full of a direct command this time, and he couldn’t help but obey it.

“I didn’t fancy any of those girls…because I FANCY YOU!” he blurted out, then just stood there feeling appalled and scared and a little crazed. He’d said it! He’d actually said it!

Ari’s mouth opened a little. “You like me,” she clarified after a moment. He nodded, feeling even more miserable. She just sounded so cool, so unaffected…

“Are you sure that you like me, Theo? Or is it just because I’m an Alpha female?” Ari questioned him, making him give her a rather wild-eyed look.

“What’s that got to do with it?” he demanded in bewilderment.

Her shoulders lifted. “You could just be drawn to me because you’re a submissive and I’m an Alpha,” she clarified. “And you’re confusing that with liking me.”

“I don’t…” he trailed off, standing there with hunched shoulders. “I don’t know. All I know is that you’re pretty cool, and that you were the first person who understood me, and that you have the best laugh I’ve ever heard. I think I’d do anything that you told me to, so maybe it IS just the Alpha thing. I guess you should just forget that I even said anything,” he said, staring at the ground.

“Theo,” her voice was different; it sounded gentler and full of something he couldn’t quite name. “Look at me.”

He lifted his head, unable to stop himself. Her eyes were beginning to glow, and he was in a trance as he stared into them. “It isn’t just the Alpha thing, Theo. Submissives will bend their necks to an Alpha readily, but that’s it. What you said goes far beyond that relationship. You really do like me, don’t you?”

He nodded helplessly. “I think so,” he whispered.

She smiled, and his knees threatened to give way. “That’s lovely, Theo. Because I like you too.”

He gasped. “You DO?!” he nearly shrieked, not believing it.

She nodded. “Yes, I do. But I held back because I wasn’t sure how you were reacting to me, as a submissive or as a man. Since it’s the second thing, I’m happy to admit that I like you.”

“Oh, Christ,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “What do we do now?”

Ari laughed throatily. “I can think of something we could do,” she told him, making him gape at her.

“Wha…?”

Ari shook her head. “This Gathering is all about finding potential mates,” she pointed out merrily. “So let’s see just how much potential that we have, shall we?”

Theo just stood there, too shocked to know what to do. Ari took the initiative, walking toward him. “Come on, Theo,” she purred, making his body react sharply. “Let’s go.”

He was following her, docilely, while his brain checked out. This could NOT be happening! But it was. And Ari looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes full of a light that made him tremble. They melted into the shadows together, to find someplace where they could be alone together…  
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*****

 

Benedict was kind of half-leaning against Kane’s big body, enjoying its warmth. The Alpha had his arm around Benedict’s shoulders, and would occasionally nuzzle his ear with his nose. The Gathering seemed to be going very well tonight. There had been no trouble as of yet, and there were obvious signs that many of the young people were finding potential mates. He wondered idly if Theo had talked to Ari yet, but he didn’t feel like searching out his brother to find out. He’d do that later.

“Mmm, you smell good,” Kane rumbled into his ear, making him gasp a little.

Oh, God, the man was licking the rim of his ear! Benedict shuddered. He sincerely doubted that he’d last much longer with Kane teasing him at every turn. They’d end up rolling around on any available surface soon, acting like the animals that they were.

He started to turn toward Kane, to chide him about his teasing(or kiss him, either one), when a loud, angry voice cut through the sounds of conversation nearby. “Kane!” it yelled, and a furious man emerged from the crowd. He was glaring hotly, not at the Alpha but at a surprised Benedict.  
Kane blinked. “Err…Tony,” he began uncertainly.

“So the first chance you get, you ditch me and take up with another wolf,” the angry man said bitterly, jabbing his finger at Benedict.

“Listen, Tony, let me explain,” Kane began hurriedly.

“Skip it! I don’t wanna hear it,” the man snarled. He whirled on Benedict. “I challenge you,” he grated.

Benedict’s mouth fell open. “You challenge me?” he asked in confusion.

The man nodded. “That’s right! I’m not just going to let you scoop Kane up without fighting for him,” he growled, his eyes darkening. “Fight me, right now.”

Benedict hesitated, as Kane tried once again to speak to the enraged man. But the truth is, if he ignored the challenge then he’d be putting himself in a bad position with Kane’s clan. They wouldn’t accept him as Kane’s mate if he ignored a challenge fight; they’d think that he was a coward or that he wasn’t really Kane’s mate because he hadn’t fought for him when a challenger appeared.

“All right,” he said reluctantly, as Kane stared at him in shock. “I’ll fight you.”

“Ben, I’m not sure that you should do that…” Kane began worriedly.

He lifted a hand. “I have to, don’t I? Or does this man have no prior claim over you?”

Kane sighed in frustration. “He does. We’ve been on-and-off lovers for a couple of years, though it was just a casual thing…”

“Clearly he doesn’t think so,” Benedict replied quietly as Tony transferred his hot glare to Kane instead, “And I cannot ignore a valid challenge fight.”

“But what if you lose?” Kane hissed half under his breath. “I can’t take you as my mate if you lose, Ben! Please…”

The desperation in his voice touched Benedict, but he still shook his head. “I have no choice here. You clan will not accept me anyway if I refuse the fight. You know that, Kane.”

“I’ll resign as Alpha. I’ll turn the clan over to Ari,” Kane told him, grabbing his arm. “All I want is to be with you, Ben.”

He touched Kane’s lips. “Hush,” he said gently. “You love being Alpha, and you know it. Don’t worry about me, Kane. I have no intention of losing,” and he turned toward the waiting Tony, his face carefully blank. “Let’s proceed,” he said calmly.

The crowd had formed a large open circle around them. Benedict stood still and stared at his opponent, who was standing tensely not far away. Tony’s eyes were full of anger. He sighed silently to himself. He would rather not have done this if he could have avoided it; but he couldn’t. Not when a challenge had been issued and accepted. It wasn’t that he was a coward; far from it. Actually, he felt bad about fighting a wolf who had a legitimate grievance against Kane. But there was nothing else for it; he had no other choice now.“Shall we begin?” he said aloud.

“Yes,” Tony snarled, and transformed. His wolf form was lean, sleek, and almost midnight black. Benedict changed as well, his wolf form not quite as big as Tony’s and with a medium-brown, slightly curly coat.

They began to circle one another warily, their eyes locked. Both were looking for an opening to attack. Benedict blocked out all awareness of the watching crowd, including Kane’s anxious stare -there was no time for that now. He watched Tony’s dark eyes, waiting to see the slightest shift in them that signaled his intention to attack. Tony’s lips lifted in a silent snarl ,showing his white teeth. Benedict didn’t return this gesture; his mind was cold, clear, and empty of all emotion. He just wanted to get this over with, one way or the other.

There! A movement of the eyeballs, a ripple of something within them - and Tony darted across the space between them with a growl and went for Benedict’s throat. He dodged, back and away, swift and graceful. He coiled on his haunches and launched himself at Tony, not at his throat but at his left shoulder. His fangs barely brushed the other wolf’s coat as Tony whirled away, and then they were circling each other again.

The crowd murmured around them, softly, but Benedict ignored the sound. Tony’s muscles coiled, but this time he didn’t try a direct frontal attack. Instead, he darted forward as though he were going for Benedict’s throat again, but at the last moment turned it into a feint and eeled around him trying to slash his more vulnerable belly with his fangs. Benedict barely managed to jump away from this attack, snapping at the side of Tony’s throat as he went. But his fangs couldn’t get a grip, and they parted once again.

Benedict coolly decided to use Tony’s bristling anger against him. He knew that he had to finish this fight quickly; he was faster, but he judged that Tony had more muscles and stamina than he did. So he began a series of darting attacks, running circles around Tony and snapping at him at every opportunity. The other wolf was forced to turn around swiftly to defend himself, and this irritating behavior was making him more and more angry. His eyes were glowing with rage, and his lips were lifted off of his fangs as he snarled savagely at the flitting Benedict. The angrier he was, the harder it would be for him to think properly and anticipate Benedict’s moves.

He stoked the fire even more by deliberately biting the end of Tony’s tail as it whisked by, making the other wolf yelp and whirl on him furiously. He darted backward, stiff-legged, his own tail in the air like a flag. Taunting Tony, making him see red, making him forget any reason or calculation.

It worked. Tony threw himself at Benedict furiously, intent on bearing him to the ground with sheer weight. Benedict ran, staying just ahead of him…then, suddenly, he whirled and dove in low to the ground.

Tony, utterly taken by surprise, couldn’t dodge or pull back in time to stop Benedict’s fangs from closing over his right foreleg. He tugged, but only succeeded in closing Benedict’s teeth even more tightly. They ground against bone, and he yelped in pain as Benedict bit down harder, menacingly, silently telling Tony that he’d have no problem whatsoever using his strong jaws to shatter the bones in his leg. He growled softly, a demanding sound, as Tony struggled uselessly against his grip. All he had to do was close his jaws a little more, and Tony would be hurting…  
The black wolf suddenly stopped struggling and stood there with his head and tail drooping, utterly defeated. He whimpered a little, and Benedict eased up on his grip. Tony threw back his head and howled, signaling his surrender. The crowd went wild, cheering and yelling, the Tall Hills Clan making the most noise as they celebrated their Alpha’s future mate’s victory in the challenge fight.

Benedict released his hold on Tony’s leg altogether and stepped back. He transformed back into his human form, only to be nearly bowled over as Kane’s arms took him in a tight hug. “You did it, Ben!” he crowed wildly, hugging his future mate so enthusiastically that Benedict was having trouble breathing. “My God, you did it! You were amazing!”

He pulled back a little, gasping for air. “Yes, I did it,” he replied severely, “But I wouldn’t have had to if you’d think once in awhile, Kane.”

The Alpha blinked at his stern words. Benedict sighed at his incomprehension. “If you had told the man who’d been your lover for several years that you’d found someone else, then he wouldn’t have shown up at the Gathering tonight angry and looking for revenge. You could have had more consideration for him and his feelings, you know.”

Kane flinched, turning to look at Tony. He’d changed back as well, and was kneeling on the ground holding one arm with the other. It was obvious that Benedict had done some damage to his arm during the fight. Kane went and knelt down next to him. “I’m so sorry, Tony,” he said mournfully. “I just got so caught up in Ben that I didn’t even think about you. But the truth is, you’ve been out of the country for months, and even before that…”

“We weren’t exclusive, I get it,” Tony ground out, not looking at him. “Maybe I never thought that we’d be mates, but to come home and find out that you’d chosen someone for that position without even bothering to tell me…that hurt, Kane. Even if I’d won this fight, I wouldn’t have wanted you back. I was simply being spiteful and trying to ensure that you didn’t get to be with the guy you chose over me.”

His confession made Kane sigh. He reached out to gently touch Tony’s shoulder. “I can understand your anger,” he said quietly. “I was totally in the wrong, here. The least you deserved was a phone call, and an explanation of what was going on. My only excuse is that I was so excited about finding Ben that I simply didn’t think…”

“Yes, that’s always been one of your flaws,” Tony replied, sounding less angry and more resigned now. He looked up at Kane at last. “I’m glad for you, Kane, I really am,” he said intensely.  
“Finding your mate is a big thing. Maybe that’s why I was jealous, not because I wanted you for myself but because you’ve found something that I don’t have.”

“Not yet,” Kane agreed. “But that doesn’t mean that you never will. And my God - what better place to search for the person who could turn out to be your future mate - than at an event like this?” he added, looking around at the chattering crowds surrounding them. “Maybe you haven’t found the right person yet because they lived somewhere overseas, or even just somewhere across the country. You never know, right?”

Tony’s lips lifted in a wry smile. “Trust you to find the good in anything bad,” he said, shaking his head a little. "Damn it, I’ve always been terrible at staying angry at you. So I forgive you, I guess.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to make this up to you, somehow…”

Tony snorted. “You wouldn’t saying that if he’d lost the fight,” he remarked, nodding at the silently watching Benedict.

“Probably not,” Kane conceded. “In fact, if that had happened I’d probably want to tear your throat out right at this moment. I’d hate to have had to give up being Alpha so that I could still be with Ben…”

“But you would, wouldn’t you?” Tony said, his eyes resting on Benedict’s face thoughtfully. “He really must be something, Kane.”

Kane turned his head and looked over his shoulder, deep into Benedict’s eyes. “Oh, yes,” the Alpha agreed softly. “He really is…”  
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Tony had been helped up and led away to where a wolf who happened to be a doctor was standing. The bones in his arm weren’t broken, but he’d probably have some nasty bruises on it for awhile. Everyone was in a party mood, since no one had been severely hurt or killed in the challenge fight. Kane approached Benedict again, tilting his head to the side a little. “Are you mad at me?” he asked contritely.

Benedict sighed. “Perhaps a little, but I’m sure I’ll get over it,” he remarked.

Kane smiled at him. “That’s good. Because if you didn’t, I’d have to pester you until you forgave me.” he said happily.

Benedict rolled his eyes. “You are ridiculous,” he said.

“Hey, guilty as charged,” Kane agreed. “Now…can I give you a victory kiss, pretty please?”

Benedict considered this hopeful request carefully. Kane gave him a pleading look, which didn’t help his resolve to stay mad at the Alpha at all. But the truth was, he still had adrenaline coursing through his veins from the challenge fight, and his senses were still more wolf than human. He could smell Kane’s scent, and it was driving him a little crazy. Well, maybe A LOT crazy! His nostrils flared a bit, and he said in a voice that was almost savage: “Kiss me, Kane. Now.”

His tone made the Alpha suck in a harsh breath, then Kane closed the small space between them and took Benedict’s mouth in a hungry, eating kiss that left them both reeling. Benedict growled into Kane’s mouth and bit at his lower lip, and the Alpha responded by sucking on his tongue in a manner designed to make him crazy with lust.  
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Who knew what might have gone on right then and there, surrounded by a huge crowd of wolves, if a voice hadn’t made them break apart? “Hey, Benny!” he heard his brother’s voice cry dimly, and somehow forced himself away from Kane’s tempting mouth with a wrench.

He turned to see Theo and Ariadne standing nearby, holding hands. His brother’s hair was tousled and there was a visible love bite on his neck, a claiming mark for all to see. And he looked blissfully happy, an emotion that Benedict hadn’t seen his younger brother display in a long time - if ever, really. “Sorry to interrupt you two,” Theo remarked dryly, “But what’s this I hear about you getting into a challenge fight? And I missed it!” he added in disgust.

“I’m sorry. I’ll schedule the next one for when you’re around and not busy…” Benedict trailed off, looking at Ariadne. She grinned and winked at him cheerfully.

Theo shrugged. “Eh. Whatever. I’m just glad to hear that you won. Didn’t think that you had it in you.”

“Neither did I, truthfully,” Benedict replied. He looked at their joined hands, and said tactfully: “I see that you and Ariadne are…”

“Together,” the girl said bluntly.

Kane made an incredulous sound. “Seriously, Ari?” he asked in disbelief. “Of all of the wolves you could have hooked up with at this thing, you had to choose HIM?” he gave Theo a dark look, which made the younger wolf look like he wanted to retreat behind Ari’s much smaller form for protection.

She snorted. “Oh, get over it, Uncle Kane. I dig the ‘big, bad Alpha’ protective vibe, but I can take care of myself. As you well know. I like Theo, and he likes me. Your approval isn’t really necessary,” she pointed out calmly.

He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “But…”

Benedict took his hand. “Kane,” he said, pulling the Alpha’s attention away from his niece. “I knew that Theo liked your niece, he told me so earlier today. I told him he should talk to her and tell her how he felt. It obviously worked out alright between them, so who are we to interfere?”

Kane eyed him. “I’m her closest living male relative, and her Alpha,” he growled. “That’s who.”

Benedict found himself smiling. “Of course. But why don’t we let them be? Come with me, Kane,” he tugged at the Alpha’s hand, and something in his gaze made Kane come tamely as Benedict began to lead him away.

“We’ll see you two later,” Benedict said softly to his brother and Ari. “Congratulations, both of you.”

“You, too,” Ari told him with another quick grin.

He nodded, and led the strangely docile Kane away into the crowd. “Where are we going?” Kane said after a moment’s silence.

He glanced over his shoulder at his future mate. “Somewhere where we can be alone,” he replied simply.

Kane’s eyes were full of that gathering golden light again. He was nearly drowning in it, and his body was singing a primitive call as he and Kane melted into the shadows at the edge of the crowd together.

 

 

They moved through the shadows together, his hand in Kane’s. He could feel the Alpha’s eyes on him, and that made him feel even hotter. The darkness wasn’t impeding the night-sighted Kane from gazing at him hungrily, and that smoldering look made Benedict’s stomach twist and his cock twitch in his trousers, seeking escape from its confinement. He panted, his breath huffing from his chest. They arrived at a small clearing, and he turned to return Kane’s look with one of his own. “Here,” he said simply, his voice deepening to a growl. “Now.”

Kane’s lip lifted off his sharp teeth, and his eyes narrowed. The heat in them was drowning him, and Benedict didn’t try to save himself. He gave himself up to it instead, and plastered himself to Kane when the Alpha darted forward and claimed his mouth in a deep, savage, eating kiss. His arms closed over Kane’s broad back and his fingers sank into the material of the shirt he was wearing, holding on for dear life as their tongues dueled together in a fight that both were winning. Kane nipped at his tongue with his fang-like wolf teeth, and Benedict moaned into the kiss and sucked at the Alpha’s tongue in turn. Their bodies rubbed together, the heat between them scorching them both.

Big hands grabbed his arse and squeezed the cheeks savagely. Benedict gasped and spread his legs, letting Kane settle in between them as the kiss just went on and on. He had no breath left in him when Kane finally pulled back, but he simply didn’t care. He panted desperately to fill his lungs as the Alpha’s hot golden gaze ran over his face, then Kane bent his head and buried his face in the side of Benedict’s neck, even as his fingers kneaded and cupped the flesh of his arse in a way designed to make Benedict lose his mind entirely. A tongue rasped and licked at the side of his neck, then teeth gnawed at the tender flesh. Benedict tilted his head back and moaned, his own hands sliding up and down Kane’s back and then worming under the fabric of his shirt to find bare skin.

“My mate,” Kane growled against his skin, before sucking harshly at it to leave a bruise.

“Not yet,” Benedict reminded him hoarsely, rubbing his crotch against Kane’s provocatively.

“Yes,” Kane insisted, nipping at the end of his exposed collarbone lightly. “Just because we haven’t had the bonding ceremony yet…that doesn’t mean anything. You’re mine. My mate.”

Benedict did some arse-grabbing of his own, hearing Kane groan against his neck. “Very well. I’m your mate,” he conceded, trying to sound reluctant(but failing miserably).

Kane made a satisfied sound, then let go of Benedict’s arse so that he could pulled the shirt off over his head and expose his upper body to the cool night air. Hungrily he gazed at all of that white skin, licking at his lips. Benedict’s legs felt like they were trembling under him. They wanted to buckle, but somehow he continued to stand upright. Kane went for the newly exposed skin, running his hands over Benedict’s chest and stomach almost reverently. His mouth found a nipple and latched onto it, sucking. Benedict cried out and grabbed his dark-blonde head, clutching at it. A thigh slid in between his spread legs and began to rub insistently against his crotch, nearly doing him in altogether.

“Kane,” he moaned desperately.

“Yes, call my name,” the Alpha said darkly against his skin, just before he turned his attention to the other nipple and began to worry at it lightly with his teeth.

“Ahh,” Benedict breathed, but he refused to give Kane the satisfaction of turning into a puddle at his touch. Instead, he began to tug at the Alpha’s shirt in turn, determined to see him naked as soon as possible. Kane pulled away briefly, long enough for him to pull the shirt off over his head. Benedict drew in a sharp breath at the muscular torso with its smattering of dark-blonde hairs that appeared, and let his fingers do the walking. Hard and soft at the same time, and hot under his hands. He came to the waistband of the jeans that Kane was wearing, and he went to work with shaking fingers at the fastenings. Kane returned the favor at the same time, both of them desperate to get out of their pants NOW.

Benedict managed to get the jeans unfastened and the zipper pulled down, and Kane pulled back just long enough to worm his way out of them. Benedict pulled his own trousers off, desperate to free his straining cock before it exploded. He sighed in relief when both the trousers and his underwear were pooled at his feet, stepping out of them happily. Kane was a having a bit of a harder time, but soon enough the magnificent animal was standing naked in front of him. Benedict let his eyes roam over all of that lightly tanned skin, which became paler around his crotch in the near-universal gay man’s ‘Speedo tan’. His brown eyes came to rest on the heavy-looking organ rising up from the trimmed cluster of brownish pubic hair, and he found himself licking his lips just like Kane had earlier.

Benedict moved forward and fell to his knees. He looked hotly up at the Alpha, who was now standing very still. His fingers curled around hot hardness and stroked it, feeling the peculiar lack of foreskin. He’d never been with a circumcised guy before. Kane’s breathing became heavy and harsh as Benedict touched him. “Kane,” he growled very softly. “What do you want from me?”

Kane drew in a shuddering breath. “Suck me, Ben,” he said in a low, savage voice.

He smiled, all white teeth in an evil expression. He extended his tongue and lightly skimmed it over the leaking tip. Kane shuddered and harshed out a groan. “You want me to take you in my mouth?” Benedict purred, clarifying the request.

“Yes, yes, God, yes!” Kane’s fingers tangled in his curls and tugged demandingly.

Benedict chuckled and bent his head. He liked making Kane crazy and desperate. The man deserved it. He opened his mouth and engulfed that sweet length, taking it in. He heard a low cry above his head, and felt triumphant. That he had this much power over an Alpha excited him almost unbearably. He tasted the precum on his tongue as he sank down, hollowing his cheeks a little. Kane’s fingers closed in his hair almost hard enough to hurt, but he didn’t care. He concentrated on giving his future mate pleasure, on making Kane jerk and gasp and quake. His tongue snaked the length of the shaft in his mouth, caressing it lovingly.

His fingers found a heavy pair of balls and cupped them. Kane gave forth a guttural sound, but abruptly pushed his head away. Hew lifted it to give Kane a puzzled look. “I was…going to…come…” Kane rasped, his chest heaving. “I want to…come in your ass,” he continued ferociously,, and his eyes were full of that roiling golden hunger that made Benedict shudder.

“I see. Well, then, get on with it,” Benedict rose to his feet lightly, his look challenging and full of an answering hunger.

Kane spun him around and pushed him forward a bit so that he could rest his hands against the bark of a nearby tree. “Bend over,” he husked, and Benedict did so without saying a word. It was commands like those that he would never protest, even though he normally didn’t like to be ordered around. Not even by an Alpha.

Hands ran down his bare back, caressing and stroking the skin. Then a mouth swooped in to kiss it’s way down his spine, and Benedict gasped a little and braced himself. “You taste so sweet,” Kane growled against his skin.

Hands found his hips and then his arse, sliding over the cheeks and massaging the skin. Fingers spread him open wide, and Benedict shivered helplessly and widened his stance to give Kane more access to him. “Beautiful,” the Alpha murmured. “So beautiful, Ben. All of you.”

Before he could reply(not that he could have, anyway), something warm and wet oozed over his left buttock and sank into the crack of his arse. Benedict cried out, completely lost, as Kane’s tongue licked a loving trail down over the tender skin and lapped ever so sweetly over the twitching ring between the cheeks. His fingers dug into the bark as Kane knelt behind him and began to eat him out in earnest, taking his time and driving Benedict mad. “Ohh, God,” he panted, his hips swayed a little.

Kane’s fingers kneaded his arse even as he stuck his tongue as deep into Benedict’s body as he could get it. Benedict wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be able to stand this. He was threatening to ooze down into a puddle at the base of the tree at any moment. “Kane…damn you, shag me!” he cried loudly.

Kane bit at his right buttock lightly. “Shag you?” he mused, sliding two spit-slicked fingers inside of Benedict to probe at him. “I like that. Shall I ‘shag you’, Ben? Shag you right into the ground?”

“Yes!!” he nearly screamed. “Do it NOW!”

“Ooh, I love it when you give me orders,” Kane said, jumping to his feet.

He started to say something else, but just then Kane grabbed his hips and sank his cock into Benedict in a single long push. He cried out, his body tensing up, at the combined pleasure and pain. Kane stood still, his hands caressing Benedict’s hips tenderly. “You feel so damn good,” The Alpha growled, “I could stay inside of you forever.”

Benedict took long, panting breaths as he waited for his body to conform to the hard length of flesh thrust deep inside of him. Kane swooped down and began to pepper his spine with a series of kisses. “Tell me when, my mate,” he said against Benedict’s skin.

Benedict took in a shuddering breath. “Move now, or I’ll kill you,” he snarled.

Dark laughter. Then he got what he wanted, as Kane pulled back and shoved in again harshly. Benedict cried out, his head going back. Hard, demanding strokes began, driving him wild. He pushed back to meet each one, his body aflame. Teeth sank into the back of his neck, making his body convulse. Kane was pummeling him now, the big body driving into his like a jackhammer. Benedict was going blind and deaf, losing himself. A series of animal noises poured out of his throat, gasping noises because he didn’t have much breath lest in his body at this point.

Lightning raced down his nerves as Kane’s cock struck his prostate over and over again, and then he was completely gone as a big hand left his hip and grabbed a hold of his cock instead. Fingers stroked him, and he howled a full-throated howl of insane pleasure as he bucked and began to come. The fingers milked him until he was done, only a few drops dribbling out of the slit. He was barely aware of the cock inside of him still moving, but he did distantly feel Kane stiffen behind him and Kane’s own howl as the Alpha succumbed to his orgasm at last.

Benedict collapsed forward, unable to hold himself up anymore. Kane’s large hands caught and held him, and drew him back against the big, sweaty body. “My mate,” Kane growled in satisfaction, nuzzling at the side of Benedict’s neck with his nose. His hands slid idly down Benedict’s chest and abdomen, a possessive movement.

Benedict sighed, resting his head against Kane’s shoulder. “Yes,” he remarked hoarsely when he could finally speak again. “Your mate, Kane. Just as you are mine.”

“That’s right,” Kane replied as he nipped at Benedict’s earlobe tenderly. “Always, Ben, always.”

 

*****

 

Benedict looked down on the naked man sprawled in his hotel bed, meeting the hungry golden gaze as he rode Kane as though he were a prize steed. He smiled slightly, wolfishly, as he jinked his hips and tightened his muscles to make the Alpha groan. “You’re gonna kill me, Ben,” Kane growled.

“Oh? But what a way to die, Kane,” he purred, leaning down to capture the Alpha’s lips in a deep, sensual kiss as he rubbed his whole body all along Kane’s.

The Alpha sucked at his tongue, and ran his big hands down Benedict’s back to grab his arse. He kneaded and rubbed the cheeks, making them both moan almost in tandem. Heat was rising up between them, and he nipped at Kane’s lower lip as their mouths finally disengaged. “I’ve got to say,” Benedict gasped as he moved his hips, “That I’m…really…enjoying this Gathering so far, Kane.”

The Alpha chuckled, squeezing his buttocks. “Me, too, Ben,” he agreed throatily. “Me, too.”

Benedict might have said something else, but just then he began to come without even touching himself. He cried out and arched his back, shuddering. He heard Kane growl in appreciation, and fingertips pinched at his nipples to help the vast feelings of pleasure along. He twitched and shook, and relished the sounds that Kane made as he was driven over the edge by the feel of Benedict coming around and above him.

They both stilled, panting, the sound of their breathing loud in the quiet hotel room. Benedict draped himself over Kane’s big body, enjoying the feel of skin-on-skin. After a moment, Benedict put his mouth close to the Alpha’s ears and whispered: “I’ll bet my brother is doing this with your niece right now.”

Kane’s dark, angry growl made him grin. His arse was slapped briskly as Kane glared up at him. “Don’t remind me, Ben.”

He sat back on his heels, smirking. “But you have to get used to the idea, Kane. I can tell that Theo is far gone over Ari. And she seems to fancy him too, so whether you like it or not you’ll have to accept it. One day you might be great-uncle to a cub that’s been sired by my brother.”

Kane grimaced. “I’ll deal with that day if it ever comes,” he replied. “But for now, I’m not going to be happy about it. Sorry, Ben. I love you, but your brother I could do without.”

He smiled. “You’ll see, Kane. Theo will grow on you…just like a fungus,” he teased.  
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******

 

The Gathering was in full swing, and by now(it’s fifth day) many of the young people had paired up and a few had even started talking about the mating bond ceremony. One of those couples was the Alpha of the Tall Hills Clan and his soon-to-be mate Benedict. Kane was impatient to claim his mate for all to see, and so the Clan Elders had scheduled a ceremony for them right after the Gathering came to an end. The English Alpha would be staying for the ceremony, where she would formally hand over her clan member to his new mate, since he would now be of the Tall Hills Clan.

Kane was standing near the edge of the informal dance floor, holding Benedict in his arms. The Alpha’s chin was resting on his soon-to-be mate’s shoulder, and he occasionally kissed the side of Benedict’s neck in a lazy way. They were watching the younger wolves gyrate on the grass, moving just for the love of it and of their own bodies. “I think that this is going to be a really successful thing,” Kane remarked after awhile, sounding satisfied.

Benedict nodded. “It was a wonderful idea, Kane,” he acknowledged, reaching up to pat the Alpha’s face in a ’good boy’ gesture. Kane growled humorously at this, making Benedict grin cheekily.

Kane nuzzled the back of his neck, distracting him from his teasing. “Oh, look,” Benedict said, as his eyes landed on something near the ‘dance floor’.

Kane looked up from his nuzzling, his eyes alighting on two men standing together watching the dancing just like they were. His eyes widened a little when he saw that one of the men was his former lover Tony, and that the men were holding hands… “That’s great,” the Alpha breathed in pleasure. “I hope that works out for him. Tony’s a good guy. He deserves somebody special.”

“Yes, after being with you he definitely does,” Benedict murmured sardonically.

He yelped as Kane retaliated by pinching his arse. “That’s not nice, Ben,” he said sternly. “I’m afraid you need to be punished.”

Benedict turned to look at him. He wound his arms around Kane’s neck and pressed his body to the Alpha’s. “That’s right,” he agreed throatily, “I’ve been a bad boy…”

Kane sucked in a harsh breath. “I think we need to go inspect the bushes, Ben,” he growled.

Benedict’s smile was lazy and sensual. “Yes, let’s go do that,” he agreed.  
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*****  
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Benedict glanced sideways at his brother. Theo was taking up a chair in the hotel’s lobby, stretching out his legs in front of him as he waited for Ari to appear. “I called Dad,” Benedict said after a moment.

“Did you? What did he say when you told him that you’re going to be mated?”

“He was very pleased for both of us. He said that Mum’s getting better gradually, and that she might be out of hospital before the Gathering comes to an end. She might even be strong enough to fly over for the mating ceremony, since it’s not going to take place for almost a month afterward. She’s determined to get better and come to my ‘wedding’,” Benedict told his brother. “But I warn you - if she can’t make it, she’ll start pestering you to marry Ariadne sooner rather than later.”

Theo shrugged. “Don’t matter,” he said “Ari’s a match for anybody, even Mum. And she’s not going to want to get married right away. She’s only in her early twenties, after all. She still hasn’t finished university yet. So your mating ceremony will have to do for now.”

Benedict studied his face. “It doesn’t bother you? To have to wait for her to be ready?” he asked softly.

Theo smiled slightly. “Nah. I know that she likes me, Benny. That’s enough for now. More than I ever expected to get, that’s for sure. I’ll wait - and in the meantime, I’ll find something to do with myself that doesn’t involve holding up a bar or getting into brawls out of boredom and a need to get attention.”

Benedict shook his head admiringly. “You really have changed a good deal these last few days, Theo,” he remarked.

Theo grinned. “We both have,” he pointed out, nudging his brother with the toe of his boot, “Haven’t we? Here you are, getting a mate and moving to America. Bet you never imagined that it’d turn out like this when you came as my chaperone, eh?”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Benedict commented dryly. “Ah, here’s Ari. I’ll leave you now - Kane’s going to take me on another tour of the city today.”

Theo snorted genially as he rose to his feet. “Is that what they’re calling it now?”

Benefit made a face at him as Ari strolled up to them both. “Hi, Ben. Theo, are you ready to go?”

“Lead on, fair maiden,” Theo said, managing to actually sound rather gallant instead of sleazy.

She chuckled. “Come then, brave knight. Let us off to slay the dragon. Oh, and speaking of dragons, could you tell my uncle that Mom says that she’s mad at him for not calling her and telling her about you?” she added to Benedict.

He rolled his eyes. “Now why does that not surprise me? I’ll pass along the message.”

“Thanks, let’s hit it, Theo,” she grabbed his brother’s hand and drew him off away toward the front doors, with him going tamely wherever she led.

Benedict shook his head as he watched them depart. Goodness, but the people of that family had really turned he and Theo’s lives upside down! Not that he was complaining, far from it. But it had all just happened so fast that he still hadn’t quite adjusted yet. Well, he’d have plenty of time to come to terms with the whole thing - say, at least another forty or fifty years…  
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Kane stood with Benedict in front of the Sacred Tree of the Tall Hills Clan, the two men holding hands and looking into each others’ eyes. The oldest member of their clan, a sternly upright old wolf with pure white hair, was presiding over their Mating Bond Ceremony. “We are gathered here together,” he called in his deep voice so that all of the clan could hear, “To celebrate the mating of our Alpha Kane and Benedict. These two men have come to be one with each other, for all the rest of their days until Father Fenrir chooses to take them back to himself. A wolf is nothing without his mate, without the one who chooses to walk through life with him. Now,” he lifted his aged hands above their head, “Feel the magic of our Father fill you both, binding you together for all time.”

A soft, hazy glow formed between his fingers and drifted down to fall on Kane and Benedict, enveloping them slowly in a lovely, shimmering golden haze that outlined their bodies before sinking inward. They never looked away from each other’s eyes as the mating bond formed within them, tying them together in a way that could not be broken until one of them died. From now on they would have eyes only for each other, and would only feel attraction and desire toward one another. Gold light traced over their corneas as the bond finished forming, signaling that they were now bonded mates. Cheering and howls broke out in the watching crowds, the Tall Hills Clan voicing their joy over their Alpha having found his mate at last.

Kane leaned forward and kissed Benedict, making the noise become louder. “I love you, Ben,” he said softly when he pulled back, his heart in his eyes.

“I love you, too, Kane. My mate,” Benedict replied quietly.

Kane seized his hand and turned to the watchers. He lifted Benedict’s hand into the air. “This is my mate!” he called to them.

More howls of glee and triumph arose, as the whole Clan gave forth their full-throated approval of the mating and their Alpha. Kane grinned, then tugged at Benedict’s hand. He pulled his mate out and into the crowd, which parted like the Red Sea to let them pass. Theo grinned and slapped Benedict on the back as he passed, and Ari hugged him tightly for a moment before giving her uncle a ‘thumb’s up’ sign. Other hands reached out to touch the newly mated pair as they continued onward toward the waiting car that would carry them away to the airport and their honeymoon. It was considered a blessing to touch a freshly mated pair of wolves, and would inevitably lead to one’s own mating if one had not yet found the right person. Finally they broke through, and made a dash for the car.

Kane was laughing as he pulled his new mate into the back seat of the car and waved at the driver to take off. He leaned over and kissed Benedict deeply, and his mate responded in a most satisfactory way. “Ahh, Hawaii here we come,” Kane murmured when their lips finally parted again. “I can’t wait to lounge around on a white-sand beach with you, Ben.”

“Why am I not surprised to learn that the thing you’re looking forward to the most is being a lay-about?” Benedict replied mock-sternly.

Kane grinned. “Because you know me so well already?” he replied, his eyes gleaming.

Benedict shook his head in pretend exasperation. “I knew you were going to be trouble from the moment I saw you in that elevator, Kane,” he said.

“That’s because you’ve got great instincts, Ben,” the Alpha replied easily, pulling him into his lap, “Among so many other things…” he added wickedly, letting his hands do the walking.

Benedict pretended to snort contemptuously, but the truth was that he was enjoying those hands and their forays too much to protest. So he settled in and did some feeling up of his own, as the car carried the two wolves away to the airport and toward their future together…  
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The End


End file.
